Thawing Permafrost
by WanderingWordsmith
Summary: Another school year dawns on the prestigious Yokai Academy. Two years on from her graduation, Mizore Shirayuki is prepared to accept her fate as a teacher at the home of all her happiest memories. It's a shame, then, that fate has other ideas.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I couldn't resist. I just couldn't.**

 **Hello Rosa-Vam fanfiction category! A few years back, I published some fanfiction here a few of you might (if I should be so lucky) remember. Then life got in the way, and my writing developed, then life got in the way again, and I ended up wiping my fanfiction archives.**

 **BUT NOW I'M BACK**

 **AND I'M WRITING IT AGAIN. It's bigger, it's better. Some of it's different - hell, a lot of it's different, as you'll soon see - but it's still the _Thawing Permafrost_ you might know and love!**

 **I'm excited to be back, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this (hopefully final) iteration of my first ever fanfiction project. Without further ado; I humbly present _Thawing_ _Permafrost_.**

* * *

Late.

Ikko Akada groaned, making himself a decent seat on the suitcase that joined him in disappointment. It wheezed with his weight, its complaint unnoticed by the mile of country road either side of the pair. Not even a passing car to validate the plight.

Such failures of public transport came often and unannounced, but rarely did he feel the sting so keenly as he did now, when he depended upon another's schedule. With nothing else, Ikko checked his phone. Twenty percent battery.

Ikko swore. Why did he pack the charger first, again? He pocketed that option and unzipped the front of the case, pulling out a dog-eared pamphlet. Emblazoned in block capitals at the very top:

 **YOKAI ACADEMY**

 _ **General & Specialist Academy for every level of education**_

Motto, mission statement. Interviews with alumni. Course brochure – wait, where had he put that? – and, most important; the letter of acceptance confirming his transfer.

A new school.

A distant, private, expensive school that needed only an application review.

An expensive school that couldn't get its damn bus schedules right. Ikko sighed, folding the pamphlet and stowing it away. He folded his arms and watched the expanse of country on the other side of the road. The whole lotta nothing that waved him farewell.

His parents said their goodbyes, of course. A fond farewell and a promise to stay in touch before they sped off to the airport three hours away. Ikko yanked his phone back out. They'd be halfway there, coffee stops notwithstanding.

The youth sniffed, tugging at his trashbag brown fringe. "Make sure you sort that out," demanded his mother, reaching back in the car to flick the loose lengths, "How do you expect to see anything?"

Ikko huffed. He tapped his foot. He cracked his knuckles, itched his arm, checked his phone, for the third time confirming the minutes passing. "Come on…!"

He heard it first. The guttural rasp of an engine in dire need of cleaning or replacing. Then came the wisps of choking smoke wafted downwind. Ikko sprung from his suitcase, knocking it over, and turned to see the ancient, yellow school bus trundling, struggling down the country road. He waved it down.

Brakes screeched and hydraulics yanked the doors open in an uneven, jarring lurch. A man clenching a cigar between his teeth tipped the driver's cap and called out, in a voice as gravelly and broken as the vehicle he drove. "Yokai Academy, sonny?"

Ikko stared. Stared hard. Seriously? Was that even legal? "Uh- yeah. Yeah, that's me."

"Said your goodbyes?"

"Yeah."

"No regrets?"

Ikko hesitated on the first step, his luggage behind him. "What?"

"Hah! I'm just messing with you. Come aboard."

Ikko checked the sign, double-checked the driver. "Scared?"

"No! Just- making sure."

"Never seen one of these before, have you?"

"Buses? I've seen loads!"

The driver cackled. "Not like this. All aboard – you're only the first stop, and we're on a schedule."

He clambered aboard, wresting his suitcase up the steps and stumbling into the vehicle. Doubt the schedule he might, but Ikko did not repress his relief at finally moving on from that godforsaken bus stop, the dented sign in the middle of nowhere. His last view of home.

True to the driver's words, no-one else rode with them. Ikko took a seat at the back, settling in. "It's going to be a long drive!" came the shout over the aching growl of the engine shifting into gear. "Make yourself comfortable."

That was easier than he thought. Checking his phone one last time as the stop drifted from view, Ikko nudged himself into the corner and took a long, deep sigh. The musk of age drifted from dusty seat cushions, motes glittering in the April sun. Gathering clouds scattered the display into small pillars.

He yawned, leaning against the window. Had the wait drained him so, or was it merely an emptying of bottled excitement? The smell certainly didn't help matters. It reminded him of doting grandparents, stifling summer boredom. He closed his eyes, letting the rumble of the engine and the rhythm of the road carry him away…

"Heh," the driver murmured, checking the rear-view mirror, "Out like a light. Rest while you can, lad..."

* * *

Ikko shivered, jolting himself awake. His head slapped against the window as the bus hit a particularly large dint in the road, shattering his groggy rousing. "Ah, fuh…"

"Oh, you're awake."

He drew his jacket about him. A deathly chill pierced the once-warm air of the bus, but it didn't come from the air conditioning or open windows. Ikko rubbed his forehead, looking around. Faint lights did their best to illumine the interior, but everything beyond the bus sped by in an engulfing darkness.

A lump formed in his throat. "Where are we?"

"We're in a tunnel. Not far now."

He realised that a woman's voice answered his questions. Had the driver changed? He peered over the back of his seat, seeing the trailing cigar smoke of the man who picked him up.

"Over here," murmured the voice, off to his left. A pale woman reclined in the opposite corner, legs drawn up in a tight cross to prop a volume of manga up in her lap. She wore a black shirt and loose jeans, both drowned out by the shocking mess of vivid blue hair cascading over her shoulders. It masked her face, though she waved despite apparently not seeing him, "There you go."

"Um…"

"Sleep well?"

"Y-yeah…" Ikko looked around for other passengers. No-one. "You said we're almost there? At Yokai?"

"Mhm. Should be another ten minutes, give or take." Slender fingers pinched and turned the last page, at which point she snapped the book shut and lifted from her hunch, stretching out. Icy hair framed skin like the first kiss of frost on a winter morning. Like the driver and his cigar, she idly suckled on a lollipop, wrapping her lips into a musing frown. "You snore, by the way."

"I do?"

"I tried calling you when I first got on, but you snored over it."

"Oh. Er, sorry."

"S'alright," the woman paused. Ikko saw her eyes shift and scan over him, quick and appraising. "You new?"

"Sorta. Transferring in, second year."

"Yokai doesn't get a lot of transfers…"

"Really?" Ikko's brow arched, the dull throb of his forehead forgotten. "What about you? You don't look like a first year."

"Oh – I'm not. I'm a teacher."

"Whu- oh! I'm so sorry, uhh-"

She cut his spluttering off with the first quiet laugh of the ride. "Relax. I'm not a teacher yet; I only accepted the position last month."

"I-I see. Even still, Miss…"

"Miss? Oh, right." Her head canted slightly to the left, bounced quickly back by a bump in the road. "I guess I'd be Miss Shirayuki to you. What's your name?"

"Akada. Ikko Akada."

"Well then, Akada," Miss Shirayuki huffed as she struggled to lean forward, extending a hand. "Pleasure to meet you – and welcome to Yokai Academy. I'll be teaching some second-year classes, so you'll probably see me around."

"Likewise." Ikko shook it, stiff and brief. The chill of her hand caused a moment's surprise before he affirmed his grip. "You're freezing!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot," sighed Miss Shirayuki, stuffing her manga in one of three rucksacks. "Coming in from the cold doesn't help, though. They picked me up from my mother's place."

"I guess not." She answered more like a peer than a teacher. Given her youthful mien, Ikko found it very difficult to marry the rigors of education to this bizarre woman. He took some small comfort – and an undeniable measure of vindication – in the unusual hairstyle she, as one of the faculty, sported. "Is it dyed?"

"Hm?" Miss Shirayuki turned from the momentary distraction of trying to pierce the black veil beyond the bus.

"Your hair. Is it dyed?"

"Oh, no. This is natural."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, runs in the family."

"No way." Miss Shirayuki only nodded in response, "That so cool."

"Y'think? Honestly, it's a bit of a pain," she plucked a strand of her fringe and held it up and away from her face, going slightly cross-eyed to examine in, "Should really tie it back…"

"Next stop," called the driver, "Yokai Academy. I repeat, next stop…"

Ikko winced, nearly yelped in surprise as light burst from the end of the tunnel. When his eyes adjusted, the bus had rolled to a stop, chugging gently as if catching its breath.

"…Yokai Academy."

"Here we are," said Miss Shirayuki, gathering her things.

Ikko stared out of the window. "You sure? I can't see it."

"You're looking the wrong way."

"Oh." Ikko hastened to collect his suitcase. Miss Shirayuki hopped off the bus and started walking as he made to alight, with only a brief farewell and a word of thanks for the driver. As soon as he stepped off, the doors slammed shut and the bus turned back the way it came. "Just like that?"

"He's a busy man. Lots of places to be."

"Does Yokai only have the one bus?"

"This time of year, yeah. Look-"

Miss Shirayuki stood a little way off, arm fully extended as she pointed to something in the distance. Ikko followed her finger, tracing it through the murky, dismal evening light.

"It's so far away!" Came his first complaint. They stood near the edge of a cliffside road, a still ocean stretching out to the horizon. At the very end, basically a lump of shadows tacked onto the point where the cliff turned sharply off in another direction, towered a collection of ancient buildings. The campus, no doubt – the pamphlet did say something about it being historic, now that he thought on it. "Are we on the coast?"

"It's not that far. Come on – we don't want to be late for the opening ceremony."

She had already taken off, expertly bearing her trio of rucksacks. Ikko, meanwhile, struggled with his trusty wheeled suitcase on the desolate, barely-maintained road. "Do you need a hand with that?" asked he, out of courtesy.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm used to this."

"Really?"

"I travelled a lot last year," she replied, stopped to catch Ikko swearing at his rebellious luggage, "Do _you_ need a hand?"

"No, no! No, this is fine." A lie, clearly, but he couldn't surrender and leave such a first impression.

They made their way – Miss Shirayuki comfortable, Ikko with great determination and much struggling – down the road and, true to her word, soon found themselves at the gates. Miss Shirayuki took a long, slow breath, taking in the airs of the campus. "It's been a while, Yokai."

"You're a graduate?" panted Ikko, clutching his side. He quelled the urge to kick his luggage.

"Yeah, year before last."

"And you're already a teacher?"

Miss Shirayuki smiled. "Don't sound too surprised. This is where we say goodbye, for now – I have to get to the staff orientation. You gonna be alright?"

"Huh? Oh!" Ikko forced himself to stand straight, only to bow. "Yes, Miss. Good luck!"

She stifled her laugh. "So respectful. Good start."

Off she went, taking off at a light jog. Ikko smiled, his nerves dissipating as he finally started to see other students, all wearing the same green blazer. Had they just arrived, too? Or had he been so absorbed in his battle with his suitcase that he'd failed to notice them?

Ikko shrugged, checking over his own uniform. "Nothing for it," he whispered, staring down the gate, "This is where they've dumped me."

He took his first step into Yokai – almost. His suitcase protested by lodging itself on a stray stone. Another curse, then a sharp yank – and then Ikko actually took his first step into Yokai Academy.

* * *

"First years over here! Over here, with me!"

Ikko hovered, uncertain. He clasped his letter of acceptance to his breast, looking between the massing first years and the students returning for their second and third years, already bunching into groups and welcoming one another home. He shuffled over to the woman gathering the first years, a gaggle of youths excitedly chittering. He caught snippets of their conversations as he waited for the staff member to notice him.

"Hey, I can't get any signal-"

"Where've you come-"

"-so nervous-"

"Where's the b-"

"- that we have to use our disguises-"

"Hello?"

Ikko jolted from his transfixion, locking eyes with the staff member. She stood slightly taller than him, with long chocolate brown hair parted into two tails wrapped with white ribbon, and smiled with a grounded warmth. "Can I help you? Are you a first year?"

His eyes flicked to the clipboard she clasped – then to the letter he held. "Uh- I'm a transfer. Akada – Ikko Ak-"

"Akada! Yes, I was told to expect you. Here- where's Koko… Koko!"

A sprightly young woman in jeans, tee-shirt, and a denim jacket jogged over. Ikko blinked – was that a bat on her shoulder?

"Koko here'll take your things. You get along to the ceremony, straight down the hall. Someone'll collect you after, alright?"

"Uh-" Too late. This 'Koko' was already rushing the suitcase out of his hands and urging him on with a reminder of the simple directions, and the staff member had gone back to shouting for newcomers. He hurried along; thusly freed of his burdens, Ikko jammed his hands into his pockets, focussing on the path ahead of him. The Academy sprang to life around him, abuzz with volunteers and staff, students and friends all chatting away – a tide of lives reuniting that swept him up in its current, dragging him along the corridors to a grand assembly hall. So great was its pull, that he only managed to collect his thoughts properly when he found a seat.

Wait a second. He looked to where he'd come from.

Did that first year say 'disguises'?

The thought barely had time to unsettle him as the crush of students working their way into the assembly hall took seats, excited cacophony quieting to a low murmur. Students packed in either side of him, including a blonde girl latched onto the hand of presumably her boyfriend. Ikko inched away from them in his seat, focussing on the stage.

A plump man took the steps and cleared his throat, just tall enough to reach the microphone. A lull spread through the gathered. Ikko recognized him from the pamphlet – the principal of Yokai, though not its Chairman. Looking around the crowd as the quiet spready, he saw the faculty filing in. Saw Miss Shirayuki chatting with the woman who'd directed him, seeming less pleased than the latter to be having the conversation.

"Welcome," droned the principal, "Welcome, one and all. As we enter a new year…"

Ikko's curiosity switched him off to the rest of the talk. Something something co-operation, something something success, something something teamwork… standard fare. He'd heard it last year – would hear it next year, give or take a few lines of script. His attention was for the rest of the hall, trying as subtly as he could to get a read on the rest of the faculty. Unfortunately, there were too many to count, but he did notice that bar a few, the principal included, none looked over the age of forty.

The girl next to him sniffed, stifling a yawn. Such was his focus that he didn't see her turn with wide, startled eyes to stare at him.

At the end of the talk, with a wish for every success and an urging to work hard to prepare for the challenges ahead – at least he assumed, Ikko still wasn't paying attention – the students were dismissed. Ikko kept in his seat, remembering the staff member's instruction that someone would collect him. He saw the girl to his right lag as her boyfriend tried to pull her back into the throng, smiling in a manner most winsome to him. He waved, confused.

When the stream slowed to a trickle, Ikko left his seat. Miss Shirayuki caught his eye and hurried to the end of the row, now also bearing a clipboard. "Took you long enough. What were you doing?"

"Er-" he spluttered, "Waiting. I didn't want to get lost."  
"Uhuh. Looks like you're in my homeroom," she flipped the clipboard around to reveal the register for class 2-B, "So I'll take you over now. What did you think of the ceremony?"

"It was nice. Pretty standard."

"I don't think he's changed it in four, five years. See anything you like?"

Ikko arched a brow. Miss Shirayuki mimicked craning her neck and looking around. "You were doing this the whole time."

"You saw?"

"It's my job to see. Amazed you managed to pay attention."

"Well…"

She rolled her eyes, laughing that quiet laugh. "So long as you're attentive in class. Let's not keep the others waiting."

By the time they arrived at 2-B's classroom, the rest of Yokai had either found their way or were very close to filing in. Ikko shadowed Miss Shirayuki's steps, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking every way except where they were going. For all its foreboding towers and horrific architecture, the inside of the campus proved remarkably modern, spacious and well-lit. The main hall opened out into several staircases that wove up to the upper floors, where they now walked.

A small crowd of second-years filtered into the 2-B classroom as they arrived. Ikko slowed down, waiting with Miss Shirayuki. "You, er," she began, "You'll want to go in."

"Oh. Sure."

"Want me to introduce you?"

"Huh?"

"You're a transfer, right? It'll be good to get you introduced."

"Uh…"

"Or… not?" Miss Shirayuki stared at him, thoughtful but unblinking. Ikko averted his eyes.

"It's fine. You can."

"Great. In you go!"

He shuffled along, taking too long to claim a seat of his own choosing. Someone at the back alerted him to an empty seat with a bouncing wave. "Over here! Seat's free!"

Ikko dropped into his new desk at the far back. Clean, recently installed, with a drawer for books and stationary. He began to smile thanks across to his saviour, only to have the gesture falter and lurch when he met eyes with her.

Blonde hair. Brilliant, toothy smile. She leaned forward on her elbows, legs kicking happily. To call her clothes a uniform massively undersold the casual arrange of the attire. She'd buttoned down her shirt and untucked it, so that it covered all but the tiniest hint of the hem of her miniskirt. Ikko's heart plunged into his stomach as the girl from the ceremony beamed at him. "Lucky me. We're in the same class!"

"We are." Ikko confirmed, his smile fraying at the ends.

"I've not seen you around before. You're new, right? Did you transfer? We never get transfers."

"I-I did-"

"Called it! I'm Kia. What's your name?"

"It's, uh-"

"All rise!"

The ritual of homeroom disrupted their conversation. Miss Shirayuki accepted the bow, perched on the centre of her desk, and waited for them all to sit again. "Hey there."

Ikko caught a few nervous whispers and shared looks. She carried on, undeterred. "So the last English teacher dropped after some health problems, and I've taken up the post. I'm Miss Shirayuki, and I'll double up as 2-B's homeroom teacher for the next year. I look forward to meeting you all."

She covered her lack of experience with an extremely easy air, a coolness that wrapped about her like a cloak – or a wall. "Before I take attendance, I'm gonna introduce our new transfer. Akada!"

Ikko bolted from his seat. "Come on up." He did so, eyes locked to the floor. "This is Ikko Akada. He's transferred in for the next two years. I hope you'll all give him a welcome Yokai can be proud of. D'you want to say anything?"

"Huh? No, uh-" Ikko scratched the back of his neck, finally staring at the back wall. He caught Kia's giggling in the corner of his eye. "I-I'm very lucky to be here I look forward to meeting you all-!"

Bow. A smattering of laughter, for his nerves rather than his wit. Ikko's cheeks flushed and he hurried back to his seat. "Nice to meet you, Ikko!" whispered Kia, through her giggling.

Attendance came and went. For an Academy the size of Yokai, each homeroom class seemed quite small – no more than twenty students. Still, as Ikko recalled squishing into a tiny, well-used classroom, perhaps this was the norm for proper academies. "Alright! This is your second year at Yokai, now. I shouldn't need to tell you the rules – you've lived 'em for long enough. Actual classes will pick up tomorrow, when you've had a chance to settle. Uh… what else…"

Miss Shirayuki hopped from the desk and searched her folder. "Oh! Right. Timetables. Grab yours and pass 'em down, please!"

Despite being near the top of the roll call, his place in the class meant Ikko received his near-last, when the hubbub of friends finding which classes they shared descended. Kia's chair scraped as she nudged closer. "What have you got? Let me see!"

He didn't have much of a choice, as Kia leaned into his desk to examine his timetable. "Looks like we've got… uh… English, History, and Maths. That's good! I can show you around between classes."

"I have the map," offered he, feeble in the face of her determination.

"Yeah, but not a guide! Yokai's massive. You need someone who knows the best spots, right?"

"I-I guess…?" Try as he might, he couldn't disagree with her logic, despite her every attempt to bridge the gap making him want to reconsider his choice of seat next homeroom.

"Great!"

Defeated, Ikko slumped and searched his timetable. "What's this one?" he asked, pointing to an abbreviation he didn't understand in the middle of Wednesday. 'G.T.'

"Oh, that's Guise Training. You struggle with yours?"

Guise. Like disguise? "Uh-"

"Don't worry! Soon as you pass the test, you'll be good. Maybe they just need to check because you're a transfer?"

"But what-" Kia carried on despite his mounting confusion.

"You practically smell like one anyway, so you must be a pro. God, you smell good. Has anyone said that before?"

Ikko paled. Of all the people who had to latch onto him, he'd ended up with the crazy one. Before he could ask, Miss Shirayuki clapped her hands and waved for everyone's attention. "Alright, that's it for today. You can get to unpacking and enjoy the rest of your first day back. Starting tomorrow, you're back to the grindstone. I expect to see you all here first thing. Dismissed!"

Ikko sat in his seat, frozen. As was her apparent wont, Kia lunged from the classroom with a babbling farewell, leaving him to his thoughts as the rest of the class thrummed and chattered their way into the halls.

Guises? Smells? What the hell did she mean?

"Akada?" Miss Shirayuki looked at the last student in her homeroom, closing her folder. He didn't answer. She took a few steps closer. "Hey. Akada. Ikko, you there? _Ikko!_ "

"Huh?" His eyes snapped to her, wild.

She tried a smile in the face of his panic, even if it didn't reach her eyes. "You alright? Yokai must be pretty big compared to your old school, huh?"

"What? No, it's uh- it's about the same." He cleared his throat, failing utterly to dislodge the lump in his throat. His words struggled past it. "Miss? Shirayuki – Miss Shirayuki?"

"Hm?"

"What's Guise Training?"

She paused. A terrible, laden silence filled the space between them. "What do you mean?"

"A-and this girl. Kia. She, uh, she said I smelled good. I mean – that's weird, right? I should tell you about that, shouldn't I?"

To his horror, her eyes widened. He might as well have told her that he'd just kicked a puppy. "Ikko…" Realization spread across her expression, emptying it of all emotion except one. Her soon eyes matched the sheer panic welling in his. Her lollipop clattered to the floor. "Ikko – this is important. Really important. I need you to tell me the truth."

"What? What's going on?"

"Ikko – are you a human?"

He stared at her. She stared back. The bell marking the end of homeroom screamed.

"What else would I be?"


	2. Chapter 2

Voices pitched, battling their way past the tall door that Ikko engaged in a fearsome staring contest.

He sighed, conceding defeat, and buried his head in his hands. Wearing a look that he could only describe as abject horror, Miss Shirayuki had stolen him from the classroom and dragged him here, to the very top of the main campus building. A long corridor containing only one door in its exact middle. Opposite, five basic chairs were arranged in a line, designed for unruly students, school officials, concerned parents and in this particular instance, one bewildered human.

Ikko reread the plaque adorning the left door. Tenmei Mikogami, Headmaster. A few other abbreviations signified his qualifications, but more important than that – more curious, surely – was the impressively decorated cross that embellished the plaque.

In her rush to get him here, Miss Shirayuki answered only a handful of his yelped questions before shunting her way into the headmaster's office, leaving him alone outside without really knowing why.

"Are you alright?"

Ikko's gaze snapped to his right, the question an explosion of sound in the crushing silence. The woman from before, the one shepherding first years, leaned forward to catch his eye. She smiled, the tiny curl of her lips insignificant compared to the warmth filling her eyes. "It's Akada, isn't it? What are you doing here?"

He opened his mouth, but only strangled, choked croak escaped. She arched her brow. "Don't tell me you're in trouble already…"

"No!" He forced. "A-at least I don't think I am. I hope I'm not. All I did was tell-"

The voice shrieking from the office stopped, cut off. It caught the pair's attention. Ikko trailed off. "I only told her about Kia smelling me…"

"What? Who?"

"One of my classmates. She said I smelled good. Really good – which is weird. I've never been told that before, so I told Miss Shirayuki and… uh… and here we are. All because I told her I was human."

The woman's expression emptied. "You are?"

"What else would I be?

Her jaw slackened, almost hanging open. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what? What don't I know? Why are you looking at me like that?"

A flurry of emotion stormed across her face. Confusion. Dread. More confusion. She knit her brow and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's hard to explain…"

"You won't have to." Miss Shirayuki's voice pierced the slow creak of the opening door. "Come in, Akada."

"Mizore, what's going on?" asked the other woman, looking to her with a strange new emotion in the mix.

"In a sec. Akada."

She left no room for protest, no time for questions. Ikko rose and shuffled inside, swapping places with her. The door closed behind him.

He now realised why the corridor stretched for such a distance. A grand space opened out before him, decked in luxurious carpets and towering bookcases. Candlelight filled the office with orbs of flickering flame. "You must be Akada. Come in, please – come closer."

Ikko approached, feet dragging him towards the only chair in the room. A grand, imposing seat with a high back, and carved wood armrests. It stood proud in the centre of a similarly giant desk, curved in a crescent either side of its occupant. "My name is Tenmei Mikogami. I'm the headmaster of this institution."

His garb explained the cross. Mikogami shrouded himself in a monk's habit, the white robes casting shadows over his face, rendering his true form near-invisible, try as Ikko might in the half-light. "Where's the principal?" Ikko found himself asking, letting his curiosity get the better of his sense.

"In his own office. He manages the day-to-day operations of our school, whilst I manage the more… vital matters. Come closer, please – I do not wish to shout."

His words twisted the very fabric of the air, compelling Ikko to obey. "I understand that you raised some concerns to Miss Shirayuki."

"Y-yes sir."

"Concerns about a student smelling you?"

"Yes, sir." Ikko nodded, breath betraying the quiver in his tone. Fear gripped him.

"Are you human?"

Unlike Miss Shirayuki and the woman before him, Ikko responded with neither question nor panic. "I-I am, sir."

"Do you understand why you are here?"

He shook his head. Mikogami steepled his fingers, lacing them into a joined fist, as if at prayer. "Our Academy is not for human students. It was founded to educate monsters in the ways of surviving the human world, and has done so for many, many years under my protection."

He spoke the words, but they filled Ikko's head with syrup. "The human world?"

"Correct. To protect ourselves, we have concealed the school's existence from your kind, lest terror and panic lead to, shall we say, undesirable outcomes for both sides. Thus, I must ask – who sent you?"

"What?"

"Knowledge of this academy is a well-guarded secret. That it spread to the human world through innocent hearsay is inconceivable. Who sent you?"

"N-no-one, sir."

"How did you find out about Yokai?"

"An email, sir!" Ikko yelped, voice breaking. "There was an email and it told me about Yokai and said it only needed an application review after my parents submitted my history and-"

"An email…?"

"O-on the computer, sir." Ikko added, lacing and unlacing his fingers.

"I know what an email is," said the monk. Ikko felt his cheeks flush. "I see…"

"I-I don't." Ikko whispered. "I'm lost, sir. I don't know why I'm here, don't know what's going on – did you say that this was a school for monsters?"

"I did," Mikogami nodded, matter-of-fact, "I believe I can clear up this confusion. Miss Shirayuki?"

He barely raised his voice, but the door opened nevertheless. Ikko watched the headmaster monk, fascinated. "You can come in."

Soon she stood at Ikko's side, refusing his desperate stare. "Sir?" she inquired.

"Where to begin…" Mikogami rose from his desk. Without the imposing furniture to frame him, he seemed no more or less powerful than anyone in the room, yet still the very air submitted to his will. "Mister Akada, you are here by accident."

"Huh?" to Ikko's surprise, his wasn't the only voice. Miss Shirayuki elucidated her question. "By accident?"

"After the events of the last few years, Yokai has been taking steps to… modernize its approach to the educational model. There were plans drafted to begin an outreach program, of sorts."

"With the human world?" asked Miss Shirayuki.

"Yes. It seems one of our servers glitched during unplanned maintenance, and the surveys were sent out prematurely. 'Tis most fortunate that only one human answered."

"Fortunate?" she scoffed, "Sir, you know the risks-"

"I am well aware, Miss Shirayuki. I daresay I know them slightly better than you." His words silenced her.

Ikko dared to break the tension, speaking up. "Th-then when you say monsters…"

"I mean _monsters_ , Mister Akada."

"Like… trolls?"

"Yes."

"Vampires."

"Oh, yes."

"Demons?"

"No."

Ikko paused. "Chupacabra?"

The headmaster laughed. "Not here in Japan, no."

"What about-"

"Perhaps we should move on to the heart of the matter," interjected the headmaster, before Ikko's questions ran rampant, "Common law once dictated that humans should be killed were they ever discovered upon academy grounds. A barbaric practise, but necessary to preserve the delicate balance we've worked so hard to maintain. So my question, Ikko Akada…"

The headmaster pointed at Ikko's chest, and he recoiled as if he'd touched him with the tip of a sword. "…Is what do we do with you?"

"Sir!" Miss Shirayuki yelled. She replaced Ikko's view of the headmaster with the square of a slender back, arms spread wide. "You said it yourself – he came here by accident, by one of your designs! You can't mean to…"

A strange noise underscored her protest, causing her to falter. Mikogami's laughter carried, and her arms dropped to her sides. "Forgive me, Miss Shirayuki – I couldn't resist."

"S-sir?"

"There is no plan to execute Akada for blunder on the part of our system," Mikogami explained. He should have claimed relief from such assurance, but Ikko still found his nerves wound tighter and tighter, "Forgive me. Such drama is irresistible, don't you agree?"

Miss Shirayuki slumped, moving out of the way. Ikko watched, bewildered but not for long; Mikogami's attention once more returned to him. "Though the intent is different, my question remains. Having a human on campus before we are prepared to accept them will prove a rather nightmarish administrative challenge, to say nothing of the risks involved to yourself, Mister Akada."

"Risks? What risks?"

"We are monsters. As you have experienced, the allure of human flesh can prove overpowering in even mature adults. In teenagers…"

"A-allure? Like- like as in steak's allure? Like food?"

"Yes."

He looked to Miss Shirayuki, then to the headmaster. "You mean Kia wants to _eat_ me?"

"Perhaps. Without knowing what kind of monster she is, it is hard to say with certainty – but mark my words. Even if she does not, there are others who will feel the temptation."

Ikko shrank, withered into himself. He stared at the floor – to the newfound hell that lurked down a mere two flights of stairs. Seeing this, Miss Shirayuki took a wary step back. "What can I do?" he whispered.

"You have two options," said the headmaster, commanding his gaze again. He held up one finger, his hand adorned in sacred finery. "The first is to return to the human world and continue your studies back in your original school. There will be precautions, your memories wiped, of course – but you will be home, safe, and blissfully ignorant once more."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Ikko paused. "And the other option?"

For the first time, he saw a smile creep along Mikogami's shadowed face. He held up his second finger. "You continue to study at Yokai."

"You can't be serious!" Miss Shirayuki interrupted, arms unfolding. She took a step towards Mikogami.

"Why not?" asked he.

"Why not!? He'd face hell here! If someone – if anyone finds out, there'd be panic! Murder!"

"Precautions will, of course, be taken; your safety," he looked past Miss Shirayuki to fix on Ikko, "Will be assured to the best of the faculty's capabilities. I can protect you, but there will always be a risk. Do you understand, Mister Akada?"

"Sir?"

"You could quite possibly face your death at Yokai Academy. Let there be no misunderstanding when I state the dangers involved."

"You can't-" Miss Shirayuki rounded on Ikko for the first time. "Akada, please – please listen to me. Go home. Go home and forget all about this. You can't stay here. If someone finds out you're human…!"

"But-"

"No buts!" She shouted, a completely different woman to the cool, collected beauty he'd met on the bus. "Don't even think about it – just go home!"

"Miss Shirayuki," the headmaster spoke, "Let the man make his own choice."

"But sir-"

"Mizore." The finality of his tone crushed whatever fight she yet mustered. Miss Shirayuki closed her mouth and watched Ikko, hysteria contained but still ravaging her complexion. They both stared at him, expectation clear.

Ikko shrivelled under the weight. He stared at the floor, perhaps hoping to find strength in the carpet. "I… um… y-you said there'd be precautions? To keep me safe?"

"Ikko-"

"There would," Mikogami spoke over Miss Shirayuki, "I cannot promise the world, but you will be protected."

"Then…"

Ikko stared at his feet. He scrunched his eyes. Took a breath. Straightened his back.

"Then I'm staying!"

He daren't open his eyes, but when neither of them responded he forced one to open. Miss Shirayuki stared at his, horror persisting. She shook her head. "No. Ikko, no, you can't be serious…"

"Are you sure?" pressed Mikogami. "Even after every warning – and Miss Shirayuki's fervent plea?"

"I'm- I'm sure." Ikko nodded, repeating himself. "I'm sure. I'm scared, but I'm sure. I think."

Mikogami's smile grew. "Wonderful. Ruby!"

His door opened again, and this time the woman from before wandered in. "I trust you heard all that?" asked the headmaster.

"Every word," she said, nodding.

"Excellent. You and Miss Shirayuki will be responsible for Mister Akada's safety."

Miss Shirayuki protested, even as Ruby nodded. "Headmaster, please – you have to reconsider!"

"The boy has made up his mind, Miss Shirayuki. I shan't deny the wish of one of our students to remain, whatever his reasons."

"Then get someone else to protect him! I can't do this again!"

Ikko's ears pricked. Again?

"Like who?" asked Mikogami, calm in the face of her agitation, "Who in the faculty would you suggest exposing his true nature to?"

"I…" Miss Shirayuki stumbled over her words, apparently coming up empty-handed.

"It has to be you. Besides Ruby and yourself, there is perhaps one other I would trust with the protection of a human on Yokai's grounds. You are uniquely qualified, after all."

Silence descended. Ikko looked to Miss Shirayuki, saw her hands curled into balls that whitened already pale knuckles. She shook – every inch of her quaked as she strangled whatever sparked her violent protests. "Will you protect him, Miss Shirayuki?"

"You've not given me a choice…" she hissed, jaw clenched.

"Will you?"

"I will."

Mikogami clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Mister Akada, you'll find your things in your dormitory. Ruby will show you over to the halls now, and you can get yourself unpacked and settled. She'll explain the rules of our institution in greater detail. Miss Shirayuki, if you'd like to remain – we can discuss the particulars."

Ruby touched Ikko's arm, drawing his attention. Unlike Miss Shirayuki, she wore the same smile she'd faced him with before. "Come on. Let's get you set up."

He spared one glance at Miss Shirayuki as he departed. He couldn't help but wonder why she was so against his remaining. Based on the way she refused to meet his eye or acknowledge his farewell, Ikko understood one thing:

Miss Shirayuki was far more scared for his life than he could ever be.

* * *

"Here we are." Ruby handed Ikko a key. "Your room, 605. Looks like it's just you and one other up here."

Like the campus, the halls proved a lot more hospitable on the inside. Ikko contemplated the practical function of gravestones and skulls lining the path towards the halls of residence, or the foreboding, sculpted dilapidation of the building proper. He slotted the key into its lock and turned, pushing inside.

His suitcase waited for him on a single bed in a narrow single room, with a small en suite fitted into the closest corner. "Kitchens are communal, and you can buy some food at the cafeteria." Ruby explained, walking inside. "Do you want to unpack first, or should we get straight down to things?"

"Things?"

"The rules." Ruby answered, folding her arms under her chest. "If you're going to survive your time at Yokai, we need to be clear about how you're going to behave."

"Oh. Uh. Sure, we can do that first." Ikko plopped down next to his suitcase. Ruby pulled out the chair of his desk and perched on its lip. Despite the weight of their conversation, her smile didn't slip – though unlike the headmaster's, it sang with an intent more sincere than scheming.

"Okay. The first rule is the same every student who enrols here must obey," she began, extending a finger, "It's also the one we see broken the most, but that's beside the point."

"What's that?"

"No revealing your true form. In your case – no telling people you're human."

"Right."

"It should be pretty easy for you to follow; especially in your second year. A lot of the students have adjusted to their human disguises and won't question you."

"What does a monster's true form look like?"

Ruby giggled. "Let's hope you don't have to find out, hm? But don't go _trying_ to find out, either. That's asking for trouble."

"Yeah. That makes sense. What about the other rules?"

"This is more personal to you. Miss Shirayuki and I will be close at hand if you ever need anything. We'll figure out a way for you to get in touch with us later, but for now – if you're ever planning a trip out, you have to let us know."

"Out?"

"There's a couple of places second and third years can go to in their free time If you're going out with friends, for example…"

"Friends?"

"Yes, friends."

Ikko loosely folded his arms. Ruby's head canted to one side. "I don't think I'll be making friends."

"What do you mean? You can't spend two years alone."

"No, but… I can't spend it trusting people who want to eat me, either."

Ruby huffed. "Not every monster is out to kill you."

"Only most of them? That's what the headmaster was saying, right?"

She closed her eyes, taking a patient breath. "Once you've settled, you'll see."

Ikko's disbelief rolled off his scoff with a painful clarity. He folded his arms tighter, looking to his suitcase. "Anything else?"

"Um… that's it, for now. I'm sure Miss Shirayuki will have a chat with you about how she plans to handle it. I'll be close by and easy to contact in case of emergencies."

"She didn't seem too happy with my choice."

"She's concerned, that's all. Mizore- Miss Shirayuki, she's worried about your safety. As I am."

"It sounded like a little more than that. She said she couldn't do it 'again'." Ikko looked at Ruby – looked at her properly, now, seeing her bright eyes fill with the same curiosity that possessed him. "What did she mean by that? I'm not the first human to come to Yokai, am I?"

A long silence confirmed his suspicion. "No, you're not."

"What happened to them?"

"They graduated."

"They survived?" Ikko lit up. "Seriously?"

"With a lot of help – the help of their friends." She added, nodding meaningfully. "That's partly why the headmaster considered this new program."

"I see…" Ikko's arms loosened a measure. "Alright. So, I don't reveal my nature to anyone, keep my head down, and run screaming if someone tries to take a bite out of me?"

"Something like that."

"I think I can do that, Miss Ruby."

"Just Ruby, please. I'm the headmaster's aide, not a teacher."

"Ruby." Ikko corrected. He found a smile – a nervous, twitchy thing from the shell he'd wrapped around himself – and extended his hand. "Then you can call me Ikko. If that's allowed. Is it allowed?"

"Sure." She took his hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ikko. Now - before I start getting things ready, is there anything else you need?"

"No. No, I'll get unpacked. What time does the cafeteria close?"

"Not until the evening - you've got time. Failing that, there's vending machines in the common rooms."

"Okay. I'll, uh. I'll sort my things, then."

Ruby stood, smiling her farewells, and closed the door. He locked it behind her, granting himself the first moment's peace and quiet since arriving at Yokai. He laughed. Laughed for the madness of it. Laughed for the choice he'd made.

Monsters were real. He'd not seen one yet, but here he stood, the lone human in an academy for monsters!

A thousand images from a thousand books flashed before his eyes as he wondered what forms such creatures could take. If Miss Shirayuki was indeed a monster, what did she look like? What did Ruby look like? Kia? A giddy spark ripped through him as he tore open his suitcase, unpacking spare uniforms and casual clothes, toiletries and books, and two boxes packed into the bottom of his case. He set these on the desk with greater care than the clothes he stuffed into the wardrobe, or the blazer he unbuttoned and threw across the room.

Someone knocked on his door. In his excitement, Ikko span to open it, catching his reflection in a full-length mirror hung on the rear of the door. Sullen brown eyes now sparkled with glee; his average build very nearly bounced up and down to disperse some of this reckless spirit that possessed him. He checked his fringe before clearing his throat. "Who is it?"

"It's me!" chirped a voice muffled by the door. He didn't recognise it.

"Me who?"

"Me, silly! Unless – this isn't Ikko? Is this the wrong room?"

They knew his name. Could it be…

Ikko turned the lock, opening the door a fraction. He saw Kia's smile first, bright and beaming. "I was right! I knew it! How are you settling?" She practically sang, voice carrying all the way down the hall. Ikko smiled – but soon hesitated, recalling his conversation with the headmaster not minutes ago.

"Fine," he murmured, "I-I'm still not unpacked, so-"

"Oh, cool! Let me help you." Kia all but barged her way into his room, sending him stumbling back. She'd buttoned down her shirt even further and, like he, shed her blazer. Kia bounced as she strolled into Ikko's room.

"It's fine!" he protested, "I'm almost done, so you can go and, and…" what could she do? Panic once more overtook any other emotion. How could he get her away from him without arousing suspicion? "And catch up with your friends!"

"Already done. I wanted to see my new friend," she span, placing hands on her hips, "I wanted to see you."

"You- you did?"

"Uh-huh." The door clicked shut. Kia's smile softened, masking her teeth and bubbling in baby-blue eyes. She advanced on him. "New transfer. New school… And you weren't around after homeroom. Where did you go?"

"I went to… uh… I had some- some paperwork…" A feeble excuse, and she knew it.

"Are you scared?"

"Scared? Why would I be-" she spoke over him, though her excitement shifted gears. Ikko marked intent behind her words.

"I said I'd help." Kia pressed up against him. When had she gotten so close? Ikko tried to push away, but she'd put the door to his back, and from here he couldn't reach the lock. His mind raced. "Help you settle. Get comfortable."

She took a breath. A slow, shuddering, pleasured breath that drank deep of Ikko. Horror struck him when her eyes opened again. Gone were the baby-blues.

"And you do smell so _good_ …"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I love watching the view graphs on my account. Seeing people read through and enjoy my work is very satisfying.**

 **It also allows me to make pseudo-truthful boasts, like 'This fanfic's been read in ten countries!' Most authors struggle with international publishing!**

 **Tiny apology for the delay; it's patch day on FFXIV and I got more than a little wrapped up in the new raid...**

 **I hope you enjoy! As always, leave your thoughts in a review, let me know how I can improve!**

* * *

Ikko yelped, pinned against the door. For such a short girl, Kia cornered him with incredible ease. Her hands splayed either side of his shoulders, rising to meet his gaze.

Rising… Ikko's heart skipped a beat. She grew. Stood at his height – and seconds later outstripped it, bearing down over him. He stared up into sunken blue eyes. "C'mon, Ikko," whined the creature Kia warped into, "Let's have some fun…"

Her breath rolled in thick waves from a distended maw, yet even that wasn't enough to break his stare. Ikko could not escape, this he knew, and like the mouse pinned by the owl simply surrendered to witness the experience.

Kia's eyes transfixed him. Mere moments ago, those blues bubbled like a stream. Now they cracked, shifted, ran deep like the currents of oceans dark and distant. "K-Kia…" Ikko whispered, his mind registering the words as if read aloud by an actor on-stage. He sat apart from the show, an audience to his own gruesome death. "Kia, yuh-"

Her jaw opened wider to swallow him whole, and still he could not help but watch. "Your eyes…"

The warmth of her breath froze. The crushing embrace that rolled over him like the wrap of a sodden duvet vanished. Kia shrank. Bones snapped back into place and in mere seconds Ikko looked down at the girl reformed, shirt sprung open, stretched and shredded by her transformation. Her eyes shattered. Hands covered her small mouth and full lips. "Oh my god," came the muffled, strangled cry, "Oh my god- Ikko…"

"Kia…?" repeated he, numb.

Tears rolled free, streaking across soft cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm – I have to – oh god, oh god I didn't mean it, I swear-"

His world lurched, pushed to one side in her desperate escape from his room. Her sobs carried down the hall, howling even as she took to the stairs. Ikko slumped, sliding down the wall. It took but once breath to bring reality crashing down on him, and suddenly every breath wasn't enough. He retched, heaved, bent over himself, curled into as tight a ball as he could manage.

"I did warn you."

Ikko wanted to look up, but his arms turned to lead. A freezing hand scooped under his shirt and lifted him up. "C'mon, up you get. You're okay, Akada. Let's get you…" Miss Shirayuki urged him onto a seat on the side of the bed. "There we go. You alright?"

Fearing that words might bring a fresh bout of revulsion, Ikko decided on a tremulous nod. Her voice, the sweetness of her breath, the cold pressure of her hand on his back – he could remember naught else of the woman, spare the image of her hysteria at the headmaster's office. Miss Shirayuki sat with him for a long while, crooning assurances and guiding his ragged, erratic breathing. When he finally found the strength to face her, he found her expression inscrutable. "Mizore…?"

"That's Miss Shirayuki to you, Akada," she reminded, too gentle to chide, "I'm surprised you remembered."

"When did you get here?"

"Just before Kia backed off. I was getting ready to step in, but it looks like she got a hold of herself long enough to recognise her actions."

"Kia…" Ikko murmured. He tried to recall her true form, but all that manifested was the oppressive warmth and her broken, twisted eyes. He pushed his hair back, hunching over on himself.

"Need a bucket?"

"N-no, I'm fine. I think…"

"Here." She pushed a wrapper into his line of sight, pinching the stick between two fingers. A lollipop.

"I'm not hungry."

"It's not for your hunger. It'll help, I promise." She wiggled it, insistent. "Go on."

Trembling hands unwrapped the dark green candy ball. It clacked against his teeth, a cold shock scraping ice across the roof of his mouth. "Ish colh!"

"They're frozen," she explained, leaning back in her seat. She rolled hers around her mouth, "I keep a stash. Help me cool off, keep my head clear."

Ikko popped the iced lollipop out of his mouth, staring at it. "Is it medicinal?"

"What? No, not like that – it's just mint, you dummy. Chilled mint."

He replaced it, growing used to the cold. It spread through him, true to her word, and gave Ikko something to concentrate on. "Spearmint."

"Yep. Used to like cherry, but I grew out of that. Mint's been a winner this year."

"Huh…"

She gave him a few moments to relax before speaking again, shifting from the casual cadence to a sharper, more official sting. "You understand now why I told you to go home?"

"What?"

"Kia's just the start." Miss Shirayuki pushed from the bed and knelt in front of him, forcing eye contact. Blue eyes – but not like Kia's bubbling stream. Hers were glacial, solid, impenetrable, stoic. "You were lucky she reined herself in like that. The next student who catches a whiff of you might not be able to hold back."

"But you were there," Ikko noted, pushing the lollipop into his cheek so he could talk properly. He found himself swapping its position every other utterance.

"That's not the point," she exhaled, listing to one side, "What if I wasn't?"

"Th-then Ruby would be there…?"

"Mikogami's assurances aren't absolute, Akada. We might not be able to get to you in time. If a student loses control and we're not around, it'll be far worse than a hickey."

"That's not their fault!" Ikko's protest threw her. Miss Shirayuki stared at him, baffled. She collected herself.

"It might not be the lion's fault – but that doesn't stop them munching on antelope all the livelong day. Instinct is instinct, Ikko. Yokai was established, in part, to help young monsters learn to manage their drives. Some of these kids have never seen a human before."

"Really?"

"Our kind can be reclusive. Forget never seeing another human, actually – in some rare cases, it might be their first time seeing a monster of another species. That alone causes problems…"

"What about you?" Ikko asked, regaining more of himself. "You seem alright."

Miss Shirayuki smiled a hollow smile. "I'm used to it. Spent the last year out in the human world, and I grew up near a human village. Your scent doesn't bother me."

"Oh." Ikko's gaze anchored to the floor.

She saw her chance. "That said – you're going home, right? You know you can't stay here."

"Miss-"

"Ikko, _please_." She placed a hand on his knee, staring up at him. "I'm begging you. I'll keep begging! Get out of Yokai. Forget all of this before you get hurt, or worse…!"

"I can't."

"Yes you can!"

"I can't!" He shook his head, the violence of the motion whipping his hair and ripping her hand from his knee. "I can't go home."

"Why not?"

"I didn't enrol here by choice, Miss Shirayuki," he began, "My parents, they- they're working abroad for the next two years. My grades weren't high enough for a private school, and then they saw that Yokai only needed an application review, so they dumped me here. I can't go home because there's no _home_ to go back to."

"Akada…"

"I'm sorry, Miss. I am, but I don't," he looked to his suitcase, breath shortening, "I know how much trouble this is for you, but I don't have anywhere else to go. I'm stuck here."

Miss Shirayuki fell back, retreating from her urging to sit cross-legged on the floor. She watched Ikko as he picked at the last scraps of his luggage, refusing to meet her eye. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't realise."

"S'okay," he mumbled.

"No, it's – not. I said some terrible things, not knowing your position. I should have asked."

"Really, it's fine," Ikko assured, pushing his suitcase away. He slumped forward and sighed, heavy, "They pulled this in middle school, too."

"What do they do?"

"Corporate stuff. They make a lot of money, but it sends them all over the place. I don't really ask."

He looked lost. Utterly lost – absolutely trapped. A twinge of empathy caused her to wince, and then she found a small smile. "Ikko."

"Yes, Miss?"

"Call me Mizore."

"But-"

"It's alright. Here, anyway. In class you'll have to behave, but if I'm going to be protecting you then we might as well be friends, right?" She shrugged. "Call me Mizore."

When he looked to her, he found her hand outstretched again, as she had on the bus. He returned the smile, grasping it lightly. "Alright. I'm Ikko."

"I know."

"Oh. Right." He laughed, quiet. Seeing him warm, even for a moment, eased her.

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm alright, yeah." He repeated this, in part to assure her but mainly to soothe himself. "I'll get the rest of my stuff sorted and then I'll grab some food."

"'Kay. You got a phone?"

"Uh- yeah." He fished it out of his pocket. "Signal's garbage."

"Gimme."

"Huh?"

"Your phone – gimme." She took it from him, and when she passed it back he saw her number and email address. "Use that until we figure out a better way to stay in touch. There's wi-fi, so it shouldn't matter if your network's struggling."

"Thanks." Ikko stared at the digits, swiping quickly through his contacts list. Hers became the third entry.

"I'll head off, then. You gonna be alright?" Mizore hovered at the door.

"Yeah. Oh, Miss? Mizore?"

"Hm?"

"I didn't see you come in through the door. How did you…?"

She only nodded in the direction of the window, before waving farewell. Ikko locked the door again, staring at the slightly ajar window. The metal bar that stopped it opening too wide had been pried loose.

He looked down from the sixth floor. "Whoa…"

* * *

Ikko woke to a knock at his door. He yawned, stretching out under the tangle of his bedding. "Timeissit…"

He flailed around for his phone, hearing the smack of plastic on hardwood. "Ugh…" Flop. Roll. His hand scraped and scrabbled until he claimed it from its new home, wincing at the brightness. Seven in the morning. "Four hours…"

His guest knocked again. Ikko wrapped himself in a dressing gown and leaned against the door, the gentle thud of his head his first reply to the knocker. "Kia? S'at you?"

"It's Ruby," replied the voice – and so it was, when he opened the door. She laughed at the tangle of his black hair and his half-lidded eyes.

"Sleep well?"

"Mm."

"Miss Shirayuki told me about what happened."

"Mm?" Ikko wiped his eye. What happened? Oh, right. "Mm."

"How're you feeling?"

How best to express his current state… "Mm…"

Ruby laughed again, shaking her head. "I'm sorry for waking you. I wanted to drop these off before you started your first day."

She handed him a plain black container with a screw lid, filled with a creamy white gel. "What is this?" he asked, stifling a yawn and catching a whiff of rotten leaves. "Eugh."

"It only smells bad, I promise. It's a masking spell – you apply it like deodorant. It won't completely erase your scent, and it won't work if they're too close, but so long as you keep from snuggling up to anyone…"

Ikko took another sniff. "I'll smell like eau de forest?"

"You'll smell like any other monster. Mostly." Ruby's smiled waxed apologetic. "It's the best spell I could manage on such short notice. I'll refine it over the next few days."

"A masking spell… like a magic masking spell?" Ikko replaced the lid, looking at the underside of the container. "I thought magic was like this?"

He made a series of vague, wand waving gestures. "Only sometimes," said Ruby, causing him to grin, drowsiness almost forgotten.

"Magic _and_ monsters…"

"It's a brave new world. I'll let you get back to it – I've got a meeting with my boss. See you later, Ikko!"

She left before he could thank her. Ikko went back inside, now too excited to return to his bed. He took to his desk chair, unlocking his phone and switching through the tabs he'd opened the night previous; Yokai Academy; real life monsters; do monsters exist; school for monsters…

When he'd first discovered the survey it had contained a link to Yokai Academy's front page, but even digging that up from his history availed him with only an error message. Strange, he thought, but he remembered Mikogami saying that the server's had gone down for unplanned maintenance. That would explain the lack of a website, at the very least, but it didn't explain the expansive volume of absolutely nothing he'd found on monsters. Nothing save urban legends, folklore, and myth. Nothing about small girls transforming into massive, snake-jawed abominations – except that one horror movie – and certainly nothing about attractive female teachers carrying frozen lollipops.

Well, there'd been plenty about attractive female teachers, but the academy wi-fi blocked those pages.

Ikko set his phone on the desk and plucked the controller sat next to it, switching on his console. In an hour his life at Yokai would begin in earnest, but not now…

It passed too quickly. After a full minute spent deciding on whether to brave this supposed masking spell from Ruby, Ikko conceded. Applying it felt like rubbing butter into his skin, and though he shuddered in disgust, even he could tell how it altered his natural smell in subtle ways. Satisfied, he threw the rest of his uniform on and hastened to join the throng of students preparing for their first day.

Just outside the dorms, he felt a shift in the crowd. Groups parted and gave a couple a wide berth, though most looked on. Like watching a car crash, Ikko too found himself drawn to the spectacle, and his heart sank to see who caused it.

Kia. Cheeks flushed red, eyes puffy, tears streaming and fists balled, she glared up at the guy he recognised from the opening ceremony. Her boyfriend? He spoke quietly, hushed and keenly aware of the scene they caused. "I'm not _trying_ to start a fight. I'm just worried-"

"No, you're being selfish!" she spat back. "Where do you get off?"

She tore away from him – and nearly crashed into Ikko. Unlike everyone else, he'd completely forgotten to keep moving, so as not to make the couple feel _too_ awkward about their public spat. Kia leapt back, startled. She stared at him. "Ikko…"

Before he could speak, she'd turned the other way and fled for the campus. Ikko looked to the boyfriend – and he levelled a baleful glower at him.

He fled for the crowd, joining the masses and cursing his curiosity. What part of 'keep his head down' was so difficult to follow?

Homeroom first. He vaguely remembered the way there. He stared at his feet the whole way, only occasionally checking the campus map to keep on track. Twice now, he'd seen Kia crying. First for her attack on him, and second for… what, exactly? What had her boyfriend said to her?

Ikko recalled the state of her when she'd fled. Perhaps someone had said something? Second-year friendship groups only grew from the first year, so it would make sense that someone could have talked…

His heart stuttered. Did that mean they talked about him? Is that why the boyfriend stared with such withering hated? He tried not to let his search for people staring distract him from his walk to 2-B's classroom.

At last, sanctuary – and most of the seats lay unclaimed. Wanting to avoid yet more trouble, Ikko rammed himself into the corner, away from the seat Kia trapped him in last time. He opened his phone and concentrated on that, flicking through webpages and memes until conversation started to flutter into life around him. No-one cared that he'd taken another seat – in fact, no-one seemed to notice him at all. 2-B took their seats and went on with their lives, paying the strange new transfer absolutely no mind. Not even a wayward sniff! He made a note to thank Ruby later.

Kia came in last, followed shortly by Mizore. One look at her, and how she looked at Ikko hiding in the corner, told him enough. She shuffled over to her desk and dropped into her seat. "All rise!"

Ikko watched Kia as they went through the motions. Every response arrived slowly, a lethargy blossoming from her tremble of her hands and the short, sharp sniffs she took to quiet herself. A few others looked her way not one asked after her once they saw her condition. How bad could that fight have been, he wondered, to upset her so?

"Alright, class," Mizore began, hopping up on her desk, "I won't keep you long. Just a few announcements. Club days are coming up, so make sure you get in on one if you're not already in one…" she went down a list, quick and succinct. Not once did she look at Ikko or even acknowledge him. He nodded to himself; as it should be, of course. Just another student. Another human student at a school for monsters.

Another morsel on the lunch menu. He stole a sideways glance at Kia, who sat with her head hung and her fingers laced together. She moved. Ikko yanked his eyes away, but too late – she saw, and this only worsened her condition.

"Any questions?" Mizore chimed, slapping her clipboard down. His attention for the girl shattered. "No? Excellent. Good. Off you go, then – I'll see you all later."

The class didn't move straight away. When they realized that, for the second time, their teacher released them early, they moved en masse. Ikko tried to join them only to find himself pinned in the corner. He gathered his bag, waiting patiently. When his chance arrived, he made to lunge from the classroom.

"Ikko?" Kia stood in front of him. She angled herself in such a way that he could escape. She laced her fingers together, hunched forward and fought with every inch to meet and hold his evasive brown eyes. "I mean, uh… it's Akada, isn't it?"

"Ikko's fine," said he, on reflex. He looked to Mizore, curled up in her chair and flicking through a folder.

"Okay. Can I-" she jerked her thumb towards the door, "Can I talk to you?"

"To me? Why?"

"It's about-" she paused to look around, before shuffling an inch forward. She mumbled. "S'boutlasnigh…"

"Huh?"

"It's about last-" another furtive glance. Her stained cheeks flushed, before she hung her head. "It's about last night. I'll understand if you say no, but… please?"

He stared at her, mouth slightly ajar. He looked to Mizore. She didn't respond, either too busy or too uncaring. "U-uh… I mean, I have to get to my next class."

"I'll only be a second, I promise!" Kia stepped forward, and once more Ikko found himself backed into a corner. Maybe he should try the middle seat next time. "I-I'll say what I need to say and then, then you can forget all this, I swear. You won't have to deal with me again."

Kia babbled. Babbled when excitement inspired her, when rage took her – but what _was_ this? Remorse? Regret? Ikko couldn't stomach the sight of her, fingers clasped in prayer, lips quivering, eyes big, sore. Even her makeup, however minimal, streaked and blotched with what must have been a god-awful morning.

He sighed. Ceded. "Alright. Where, uh… where do you want to talk? Here? Or…"

Kia breathed, placing a hand over her chest. "Follow me."

Ikko tried to catch Mizore's attention one last time, failing. Surely this would count as a time to ask for help?

She took him to one in a long string of clubrooms on the third floor, unused. Tables lined the walls, providing a great open space for drama, or dance, or blood rituals. Whatever monsters got up to during club.

Ikko paused at the door. What _did_ monsters get up to during club?

Kia searched both the back room, supply closet, and the corridor before shutting the door behind them. Ikko perched on the furthest desk, folding his arms. She pulled at her skirt. "Okay. So… last night. Last night… last night happened."

"I-it did," he mumbled, "What happened?"

"You know what happened!" Kia's fists balled. "I got a whiff of you back at the opening ceremony, and then again at homeroom. Next thing I knew, you were all I could think about! I had to- to…" she covered her mouth, rushing forward to close the gap between them. Ikko leaned back – he realised really needed to stop pinning himself on chairs and in corners – as she stopped but a few paces away. "I lost control. I've _never_ lost control before, not once. Not with my parents, not when I awakened, not in middle school. But you…!"

Tears sprung anew from an infinite well. She sniffed, blinking them away. "I'm sorry, Ikko. I'm so sorry, I could have – it could have gone so much worse. If you hadn't called me out…"

"C-called you out?"

"I understand if you hate me. This must terrify you after, after everything I did. Everything I said – I'm such an idiot." She rubbed furiously at her eyes with her blazer, smearing black on the sleeve. "If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I will, but I really wanted to help, I swear! I wanted –wanted to be your friend… you looked so lost at the ceremony, I just… I've never lost control like that before. It's never happened!"

"You, uh, already said-"

"I know!" she yelled, before he could complete his thought. This last noise stemmed the flow, leaving Ikko in stunned silence with only the sniffling, struggling Kia hunched over before him, ferociously drying her eyes and begging them to stop with stuttered apologies.

He lurched, spoke before he could think to temper sincerity with logic. She was a monster. A monster – she'd tried to eat him! And yet…

"I-it's okay." He managed, voice strangled.

"Huh?" Kia looked up.

"First day, right? Nerves and, and stuff. Instincts." He plucked that word from his conversation with Mizore, hoping it might strike a chord. "Bound to happen. No-one got hurt, so..."

Kia's expression emptied. Her arms hung limp at her side. "You mean it? You're not- you're not mad?"

"Mad?" He returned. "No. You scared me, but… I'm not mad."

"Oh…" Kia trailed off. Was she disappointed that he wasn't angry? "Then can we… I-I mean, if it's okay with you, Akada, can we start again? Properly?"

"Properly being not… smelling me?" Ikko asked. She laughed, sniffling and padding her eyes.

"Not smelling you," she confirmed, "Shaking your hand. Let's see…"

Kia held hers out. She smiled, and in doing so Ikko realised just how dimmer she'd been without it. "I'm Kia. Kia Tayama."

He flickered into a smile of his own, and made sure to grasp her hand firmly. "Ikko. Ikko Akada."

"Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine," said he, bowing his head. They lingered there, for a moment, squeezing one another's hands.

"This is a little awkward," she admitted.

"Just a little." They laughed and backed off. Kia still sniffed, still fussed her eyes, but the worst of the storm seemed to have passed. "Do you want to, uh…"

"Huh? Oh, right. I should clean myself up before class. If Masumi sees me like this, he'll freak."

"Masumi?"

"Boyfriend," she huffed, adjusting the strap on her bag, "Soon-to-be ex, after this morning. I can't believe him!"

"Oh." Ikko fidgeted. He looked to the door.

Kia tried another, softer a smile. "See you at class?" she asked, more than a little hopeful.

He nodded. She sighed relief and excused herself, keeping her head down as she hastened back the way they'd came. Ikko watched her leave, trying to digest what he'd just experience. He somehow preferred the almost-being-eaten to this stuff. This feely… feelings stuff. Still, she seemed nice. For a monster.

His phone buzzed. Ikko checked his email.

Mizore, if the sender address gave anything away.

'We're not all bad. Sorry for trying to scare you.'

Ikko looked to the window. No-one. He checked the corridor. Empty. He scratched his head, wondering how she'd managed to compose such a serendipitously-timed message.

The bell rang, forcing him to stow the thought. Maths next!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: The weather's been so nice. Enjoying the sun makes it hard to sit down and write...**

 **Still! The threat of sunburn proved an excellent motivator. Here's chapter four.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Kill me."

Ikko finished his answer, tracing down to the next question.

"No, please – actually kill me."

He scribbled his next answer and turned the page. Kia let her head knock gently against her desk.

"Pleeeeeease-"

"Is there a problem, Tayama?"

"N-no, Miss Nekonome. Sorry."

Miss Nekonome smiled, sweet. "A pop quiz is not a team effort."

"Yes, ma'am…" Kia picked herself up, stabbing at her paper. Its tapping gave Ikko a rhythm to focus on, something to speed along the last few questions. Only when Kia's whingeing renewed did it begin to grate, and by then Nekonome signalled the end of the test.

"I can't believe you hung me out like that!" Kia accused, pouting. She'd covered splotched makeup with incredible ease – had Ikko not known that she'd been crying, he would have thought allergies or some other minor irritation.

"I didn't," he argued, stuffing his notebook into his bag, "Like she said – it's a pop quiz."

"On the first day back! What gives?"

"She probably wants to see how we've been studying over the break."

Kia blew a raspberry. "Don't take her side! I thought you were cool!"

Ikko straightened all of a sudden, adjusting his tie. "You, uh- you did?"

"Transfers are cool, aren't they? That's why they transfer."

He wondered what she'd been reading to come to that conclusion. Many things he certainly was; cool fell into none of the ball parks even remotely related to his person. "I don't want trouble on my first day. Bad enough I had to see the headmaster last night."

"You did!?" Whoops. "What for? What did you do?"

"W-well, uh- some paperwork got lost. Normal stuff."

"Oh." Kia deflated, her chance at juicy gossip swept from underneath her. "What's he like?"

"He's…" Ikko thought back to Mikogami. Monk's habit – _bizarre_ sense of humour. "Pretty normal, I guess. Like any headmaster."

"Seriously?" She arched a brow. "How do you make everything sound so dull?"

"Hey!"

"What do you have next?" Kia slung her bag over her shoulder and crushed closer to Ikko, peering at the timetable he'd fished from his blazer.

"G… G.T. Guise Training, right?" His stomach churned. How would he slip past this one? Surely appearing as a human proved enough; and it broke policy to force students to reveal their true forms. Maybe there'd be an exception?

"Oh! So soon?" Kia hummed. "They probably want to get it over and done with. You hide like a pro, so there's nothing to fear."

"You think?"

"I know! It's a rare monster who can manipulate their scent like that. I noticed you toned it down a bit." She sniffed. Ikko leaned back.

"I did, yeah…"

"I've got Science." Kia moaned, flattening out her timetable. "It's too early to think, and it's with Masumi."

She lapsed into an uncommon silence. "Uh- you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm bracing myself." She blew her cheeks out. "He's not gonna like it."

"How long were you two…?"

"Last year. Most of it – I think we met in the first month?" Kia stashed the paper and placed her hands on her hips. "Christmas was hard. He got needy, and it's only worse now that we're back."

"Needy?" Ikko asked. Kia smiled, saddened, and shook her head.

"It's alright. I'll deal with it. Hey!" A fresh spark caught her attention. "We should hit the Street after class!"

"The Street?"

"Yeah – Preternatural Street. We can grab a coffee and I can show you around. What do you think?"

"Uh…" Ikko fidgeted.

"Say yes." Kia answered for him. "Come oooon. It's the least I can do."

"Alright. Sure." He nodded. Kia clapped her hands together.

"Great! Good luck in G.T." She practically skipped off, all sullen airs shrugged off. How did she do that?

Ikko found his map of the Academy and set off. The familiar bustle of students between class sang its familiar chorus. He navigated couples and groups stopped in the halls, panicking first-years dashing from one side of the building to the next, third-years strolling casually by. No sign of Mizore or Ruby, he mused, but soon concluded that it was the point of their protection to not be obvious about it. A transfer escorted by staff might look normal, but give it a few weeks and the rumour mill would surely turn.

He recalled Masumi's glower. One potential rumour was quite enough, he thought, and he kept his head down for the rest of the trip.

Guise Training took place in a corner of Yokai, away from the main classrooms. Ikko hovered in front of the tall door, unmarked save a dented, dog-eared sign. He checked his phone; two minutes to spare. He tried the handle, steel rattling but not giving. Locked? He tried again, with a little more force.

He'd been the only student on the corridor, and that held true even as he kept watch for teachers. One minute. Two… he tried the door. It clicked as he did so, causing him to open the door with a little more force than intended. "Sorry!"

"It's alright," answered the teacher, poking her head around the frame. He saw the shock of blue hair first.

"Mizore?" Her brow arched. "I-I mean, Miss Shirayuki! What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" She swung the door wide, inviting him in. Unlike the classrooms of the academy proper, the G.T. rooms kept a more comfortable design. Two couches, two chairs, and a small desk to write on.

"You're my G.T. tutor?"

"Sort of." She locked the door behind him. "You obviously don't need help with that. The headmaster and I agreed that you could use a space to settle and recover for the first few weeks. It won't be forever, but for now think of it as a break from the culture shock."

"It's not that bad," he tried to sound assuring, confident even. Mizore only laughed.

"Give it time. You've only met one monster properly. Besides," she went back to her chair and the small mountain of paperwork, "Why would you complain about a free period?"

He shrugged his bag off and perched on one of the couches. "Free?"

"Yes."

"Completely?"

"Within reason," said she, looking up, "Unless you've got homework you want to do?"

"I've only had one lesson."

"How was it?"

"Fine. Maths. Miss… Nekonome? With the weird hair." He set his hands either side of his head, resembling the teacher's styled cat-ears.

"You mean her ears?"

"Her-" Ikko choked on his surprise. "Her ears?"

"Yeah. If anyone needs Guise Training, it's her."

He thought back. Her hair did have a habit of flicking whenever someone talked – and she'd even picked up on Kia's whispered pleas for a swift death. "Are Guises really so hard?"

"They can be. Depends on the monster."

"Huh?"

"It's like…" Mizore set her pen down, pinching her brow in thought. "Like squeezing into trousers that are too small. The more monstrous your true form, the harder it can be to maintain a Guise."

The briefest image of a monster like Kia squeezing into such a tiny body as one might a pair of skinny jeans flashed into Ikko's head. Mizore continued. "Emotions affect it, too. When they run high or erratic, that causes its own problems. You saw that."

"Right," Ikko lapsed into brief thought. Kia's emotions ran on a permanent high, from what he'd seen of the living embodiment of a rollercoaster. Had that been an act? Did only specific emotions trigger such a change?

He traced back the events leading up to her transformation, recalling how close she'd pressed to him. He crossed one leg over the other. "What's your true form like?"

She sighed. "Ikko…"

"What?"

"You can't just _ask_ that. You might as well ask to see me naked."

His cheeks flushed. "Oh."

"It's different when it breaks loose. Kia struggled to control herself. Releasing your true form, willingly? Can you imagine what that's like?"

He'd crossed a line. Ikko laced his hands together, staring into his lap. "I guess. Sorry."

Watching him withdraw, Mizore backpedalled. She hopped from her chair and took a careful seat next to him. "No – it's alright. Better to ask me than Kia. This is all stuff you have to learn."

Ikko looked up to her. She tried a smile and reached into her pocket to offer an olive branch; or, more accurately, a lollipop. "Ask whatever you like. If it helps you fit in and avoids slip ups, I'll do what I can. Like… human guise training."

"Pretending to be a monster?"

"Precisely."

Ikko warily plucked the lollipop from her outstretched fingers. He sucked thoughtfully. "I thought this was supposed to be a free period?"

"What else are you going to do with it?"

He didn't want to admit that he had a few stages left on his mobile game. "Good point."

"So- ask away."

Silence. Ikko fished for a question, but they all fled from him. Like being asked about his favourite book, every title he'd ever even thought of opening made themselves scarce. "Uh…"

Mizore sat patiently. He looked properly across to her, forgetting furtiveness. She's chosen a white shirt, simple trousers, and pushed her hair back behind her ears so that it wouldn't fall into view as she leaned over her work. At least he thought that might have been her idea; despite the effort it sprung free, cascading erratically over her shoulders. He took a breath, smelled the mint on his breath – or was it hers? Sweet. A tiny bit sharp. Cold. His cheeks flushed again, and he leaned forward. Fingers raked through his hair. "Oh! What's the deal with scents?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Like – is it just humans that smell different? How does it work?"

Mizore stared at the far wall, cheek coming to ponderous rest on a pale palm. "It's… an instinct? I guess? You can normally tell who's what by smell. Monster, human – not specifics like species, unless you know them well enough. I can pick my own kind out of a crowd. Maybe a couple of others… Oh, but humans are easy. Any monster can pick out the scent of a human."

"Is it like pheromones?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"What other monsters could you detect?" An excitement plucked his tone up. The sincerity of his curiosity proved infectious.

"Vampires, easy. Spent a lot of time with vampires at Yokai."

" _Really?_ "

She laughed, quiet. "It's not that big a deal. They're not common, but you see them around."

"Vampires…" Ikko murmured, starstruck. "What are they like?"

"Huh?"

"Do they actually, y'know…"

"Oh, yeah. They have to." Mizore's smile splintered, the memories of her student years rushing back. She closed off as quickly as she'd allowed herself to become swept up. "There's more than just vampires, though. 'Specially here – you'll find all kinds at Yokai."

"All without seeing their true form." Ikko noted. Either he hadn't noticed the shift in her paled skin, or he was more sensitive than Mizore gave him credit for. "Hey, uh- Miss Shirayuki? Mizore?"

"What?"

"What, uh… I mean, if it's alright to ask… what kind of monster are you?"

The former, then. Mizore huffed, still resting on her hand. "That's an improvement over asking for my true form, but you should still watch what you ask for. These are very personal questions you're asking – not to mention you're breaking the rules. Remember?"

"Right. Er, sorry. Never mind."

Her gaze flicked from the wall to Ikko. He, too, shuffled back to his natural shell. "Just this once, I'll tell you. Okay?"

"A-are you sure?"

"Hey, you asked – and you're learning. Just, next time you ask this, make sure it's the right time."

"The right time?"

She huffed. "Never mind. I'm a yuki-onna."

"A yuki-onna." He reiterated. "A snow spirit?"

"Rude. I'm flesh and blood, same as you; but yes."

Ikko saw it. Mizore Shirayuki, the snow woman. Suddenly her eyes were glaciers and her hair a cascade of shattered icicles. Beautiful, surely – but a cold, distant beauty. He caught himself in the middle of his rampant assumptions, endeavouring to shake from their shackles. "Ikko?" she asked, noticing his stare.

"Huh?"

"Could you blink or something? It's creepy."

"Sorry! Sorry! This is all new to me…" He tore from her and yanked his phone from his pocket; anything to distract from the woman transforming without so much as moving an inch.

"You see why it's dangerous to ask about this stuff?" Mizore read him like a book. Ikko nodded, staring at the lock screen of his phone. Silence returned to the room, coupled with a twinge of shame. Mizore went back to her desk, the lesson ended for now. She read the words on the paper, but a lingering dissatisfaction caused her to stick on the first sentence over and again. She pushed back her fringe. He'd needed to learn that, of course.

Ikko unlocked his phone and opened his game, but paused on the level select. The exchange just gone consumed his attention, and he played it back over and again. She was right, of course; within mere moments of learning her species, his mind fled to folklore and legends, forever twisting his understanding of Mizore. She was a monster, now – not some cool stranger on the bus or a pretty teacher starting her job at the Academy.

Mizore the yuki-onna.

Mizore the monster. The thought churned and coiled blackly in his chest, shortening his breath. He looked through his phone, to the floor. He hated it. Curiosity be damned, he hated how it changed him. "Mizore!"

She startled from her paperwork. "What? What is it?"

The swell of his emotions made him sound more panicked than the situation demand. Ikko leapt from the sofa, arms stiff and glued to his sides. Mizore boggled at the display. "Ikko, what's wrong?"

"Please forgive me!" He bowed, rigid. "I didn't mean to make you a monster. You're cool. And. Uh."

The resolve that sparked such a desperate bid to rewind their conversation faltered as Ikko realised he had nothing profound to say. His heartfelt apology stumbled around the complexities of the situation. "Th-that is to say. I'm… I'm sorry. For asking."

Stunned, Mizore could only stare at him, lollipop stick drooping in a mouth hung slightly open. A chuckle took her. Not quiet, like before – not restrained like on the bus. For the first time, Ikko heard her laugh properly, clutching her sides. Her entire being brightened, warmth creasing her eyes. "You're so weird!" She cried through her mirth.

"Wh-what?"

"You didn't make me a monster! What are you even trying to say?" He wanted to answer, but her laughter stopped him. "Calling me cool. Oh, Ikko…"

It wasn't quite the effect he'd intended, but he took the warmth before he could spoil it again, chuckling nervously. He sat back down. "I-I only meant-"

"I know what you meant. I know. God…" Mizore wiped her eye. "You need to work on your words."

"Yeah. Heard that before."

"You have?" asked she, after a moment spent calming down. She conceded that she wouldn't be getting any actual work done, once more returning to the couch.

"My dad – he always got on my case for not following through." Ikko scratched the back of his neck. "Speaking clearly, making yourself heard – they're important to him."

"They're important generally." Mizore agreed. The mire of memories threatened to drag her back, but the high of her laughter beat back the creeping tendrils. "You don't want to get swept up in what someone else wants for you, right?"

"Does everything have to be a lesson?" Ikko returned, sass fed by the broken barrier between them.

"Hey – that's my job."

"I thought this was a free period?"

"Teachers don't get free periods." Mizore stretched, sighing wistfully. "It's been paperwork and curriculums for weeks. So much _work_ …"

"Have you always wanted to teach?"

"Hm? No, I stumbled across the idea last year. The headmaster recommended the position to me, said it would be good to have me on board. Of course, now I know he was planning this outreach program, so..."

"Because you were with the human who graduated?"

Mizore's eyes shot to him. Her arms wove into an iron guard about her midsection, as if he'd just pulled a knife on her. "How do you know that?"

"S-sorry!" he yelped. "Ruby mentioned that there was a graduate and the timing makes sense…"

Her heart leapt, turned over itself, and coiled into a knot all at the same time. "Ruby said that?"

"Was she not supposed to? Was I not supposed to tell you? She didn't say it was a secret…" Ikko's panic sang clear. The fact that he'd hit the mark notwithstanding, he clearly fixated on her reaction more than her words. Mizore reached for whatever composure she could muster, slowly unfurling. She heaved a sigh, burdened by the revelation.

"It's a secret to the students of Yokai. The other teachers, too. Only a handful know about it. Yes – I graduated with the human. His name's Tsukune, by the way."

"You knew him?"

"We were friends," she replied, throat constricting. "Good friends. Very… uh…"

Mizore stood, abrupt. "I'm gonna grab a drink. Coffee. Want one?"

"Mizore?"

"I'll get you one. Back in a bit."

She all but slammed the door in her escape from the G.T. classroom. The snap of her shoes carried along the corridor as she walked – not necessarily towards a vending machine, just away. Away from Ikko's damnable innocence. She swore. She cursed. She cursed Ruby. Why would she share that? Why did he need to know? She asked these and more between every breath.

Mizore rounded the corner, stopping short, nearly stumbling. She steadied herself on the wall, breath erratic and shaky. His name. That's all it took. One year later, one year away, one year _forgetting_ – and his name brought everything back. She clutched the stitch in her side, gulping air. Steady. Easy. In…

Out…

In…

"Mizore?"

"Ikko!" she snapped, lashing around. Her cold eyes blazed, wild and raw with fury enough to cow far stronger wills than his. "Ikko – what are you doing? I said – I said I was getting a drink!"

"Sorry." He apologised. Always apologising. Mizore barely heard his meek whispers. "I- I know that look. That's all."

"How could you know? What look? What are you saying?"

"That." He pointed at her. "Not just the look. Your chest – how tight it gets. Taking in more air than your lungs know what to do with."

"So?" Mizore leashed herself to a professional air, for all the good it did. Her body heaved, trying to catch a useful, full breath. "So what?"

"I wanted to help," he offered, fidgeting, "That's what friends do, right?"

"I'm your teacher first," Mizore corrected, closing herself off, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm fine. I'm fine, alright? Just… go back to the room."

He didn't move. "Please, Ikko. I'm fine, I promise."

Even he wasn't so clueless as to miss the plea in her lie. He nodded, slow, and withdrew with only one more apology to a gruff male voice around the corner. Mizore straightened, smoothed herself out. She focussed on her original task of locating drinks. Fizzy and sweet for her, and for Ikko…

She hovered on the selections, watching coils turn and bottles drop violently into the tray. Ruby kept a bottle of wine for visits from friends and other staff. She could enjoy a glass with her later, between screaming at the woman for telling Ikko about Tsukune.

Tsukune… "No." She shook herself, collecting their drinks. "That's enough. Back to work."

Back to work. Back to class. If she insisted that she was his teacher first, that meant behaving as such. No more running. She'd wasted a year running, exploring the human world. Time to be Miss Shirayuki.

Nodding, Mizore span – almost crashing into someone waiting by the vending machines. "Excuse me," she mumbled, looking up.

"Excuse you," said he, a toned man with a sharp shock of hair and a line of piercings in each ear. He towered over Mizore, and a face normally sold to a simple, calm frown coiled up at the corners, sneering intrigue, "Shirayuki."

Her newfound resolve cracked. Mizore tried to harden, hugging her drinks closer. "Kotsubo."

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

"What does it look like?"

Kotsubo circled around her, reaching for the vending machine. Mizore turned with him, refusing to show her back to him. "I didn't realise you were qualified for G.T. What _are_ you qualified for?"

"It's a special circumstance. New transfer."

"Right, right." He hadn't ordered. Though he looked like he surveyed the drinks, Kotsubo's eyes trained on Mizore. "Special circumstances. Of course you'd be involved."

"What?"

"The headmaster assigned you to the snowflake, did he?" he scoffed, giving up on the ruse. He stuck wide hands in his pockets, leering. "Out here all alone, quarrelling with the new transfer. Moving on so soon, are we?"

Mizore inhaled, harsh enough to sting her longs. "If you're implying-"

"Implying? I'm not implying anything." Kotsubo chuckled, quiet. "We're colleagues now, Shirayuki. That's all in the past. As your senior in the field, I'm only concerned about your performance. If something were to happen so soon on your watch…"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Temper, Shirayuki. Now who's implying?"

Her fist tightened around the neck of her drink. In the distance, the bell signalling the end of class chimed. Kotsubo's smile vanished from sight as he turned his back, but lingered venomously in his words. "Do take care, Shirayuki. The first week is always tough on new teachers and transfers both…"

He turned the corner. It took all her strength to stay standing. She dragged herself back to the G.T. classroom, longing for that glass of wine all the more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Up until recently, I'd barely manage to churn out 500 words a day. Having picked up fanfiction again, that's shot right back up to my old pace. It feels good to create so much.**

 **I've been re-reading _Rosario + Vampire_ , mostly for fact-checking but also to reconnect with the source material. I forgot how much fun the first season was.**

 **Anyway. Chapter Five! Enjoy.**

* * *

Kia's snapping fingers severed Ikko's distraction, bringing him crashing back to the café with a yelp. "There you are. Space case."

He apologised into his coffee. Of the many and varied restaurants, convenience stores, outlets and cafés on the busy thoroughfare of Preternatural Street, they'd picked Kia's favourite – or, more accurately, Kia suggested her favourite and Ikko mumbled an automatic response. Café Black Cat read the sign adorning the front. "It can't be _that_ bad."

"Huh?"

"Your G.T. exam. How could you have failed?"

"I didn't!" he replied, "I think. I don't think I did."

"What, then? What's got you a million miles away?"

Ikko made a non-committal whinge. Mizore's return heralded yet another first from the woman; a glare. Not for him, and not wrathful or envious like Masumi's, but vilest hatred for whomever had delayed her so. He feared for the life of the one who provoked it, but couldn't rightly talk about such a ferocious side to their homeroom teacher. "Adjusting," came the excuse, "Just adjusting. Hard to believe there's a place like this on-campus, y'know?"

"Quaint, isn't it?" Kia opened her arms out to the building proper. Sat on a leather sofa tucked into the back corner of the café, he craned his neck to see the rest of the modern space, complete with state-of-the-art coffee machines and baristas in full uniform. Music played quietly in the background. Part-timers, one and all spare the manager – he thought he recognised one of the men from his homeroom, though he couldn't tell for sure.

Kia sank a little more into her cushion, content in a way Ikko could only dream of achieving. "Used to cram here coming up to summer…"

"You? Cram?"

"What else? I don't have time to study normally." She laughed. "Well, I didn't. Masumi and club kept me pretty busy…"

Right. Masumi. Ikko latched onto that, if only to take him away from his own worries. "How did it go?"

"Eh…" she held her hand out level, then shook it. "It went."

"Was he mad?"

"Dunno. It's weird, y'know?" He didn't, but nodded anyway, "I spent so much time with him, and now it's over. Just gotta wait for the fallout."

"It happens," he offered, meek. She smiled at him, shuffled a little closer to the edge of her cushion, "I'm sorry."

"You're always apologising," she noted, "What have you got to be sorry for?"

"W-well, you had this stuff with Masumi just after everything – everything from last night. Must have been tough."

"That's hardly your fault," Kia blew on her cappuccino, "I'm the one who couldn't keep it in check. But… thanks."

"S'okay." Ikko took a sip. He wanted to know – his curiosity begged desperately for him to ask the question, but one session with Mizore had been enough to curb his instinct. Almost. "What are you- What're you gonna do now?"

"I'm here, aren't I? I promised I'd show you around." Kia reaffirmed. Her baby blues locked on the door, as if waiting for someone. "Masumi hated the music. Said it made him feel old."

"I like it," said Ikko, quick to turn her from an unpleasant subject, "It's classy."

"Right?" Kia laughed, briefly. He swayed slightly as she jumped from her seat. "S'cuse me for a sec."

"Kia?"

"Sorry," she sniffed, hurrying from the couch. "Sorry – just give me a moment."

She fled for the restroom. Ikko watched the door for a moment, wondering what it was about breakups that turned such bright people into rolling explosions of emotion. Reminded of Mizore, his wonderings turned to the deathly glare that followed her return. Had she remembered an ex? Encountered one?

Ikko hummed. Is that what Tsukune was to her? An ex? The last human at Yokai Academy. It held an undeniable air of romance, enough to make even him sigh, wistful, at the thought. Star-crossed lovers…

"What a day…" Kia murmured, rubbing her eyes and robbing him of his daydream.

"No kidding," she laughed. Ikko reached for a tissue.

"I'm good. Normally better than this, I swear," she reclaimed her cappuccino, throwing it back like a shot of alcohol. "I was kidding, by the way."

"Huh?"

"You are pretty cool. In your own way."

"What does that mean?"

"You gotta ask?" Kia rolled her eyes. They enjoyed a few moments in the quiet as she steadied herself, letting the wave of emotions from her day wash over. "Where are you from, Ikko?"

"Me?" He drained his coffee. "Uh- nowhere, really. Parents moved me around a lot. Cities, towns… I've lived in a lot of places."

"What for?"

"Work. They go where their careers take 'em." He laughed, dry. "Guess they finally got sick of transfer paperwork and dumped me here."

"Were you in a human school up 'till now?"

He nodded. "Never really settled anywhere."

"What did you tell your friends?"

"What?"

"Y'know, like… going to Yokai. Not exactly your typical transfer, is it?"

"Mm. I didn't."

Kia's brows shot up. "You just left?"

"No, no – I didn't, er. Didn't have friends to tell. I'd only been there a year."

She made a face, the kind he'd expect to see when one stumbled across a lost puppy. "Ikko…!"

"It's not that bad!" He assured, "I've got my games. I don't mind being on my own."

"That can't be true."

"It is!"

"Ikko, people don't mind being _alone_. No-one wants to be _lonely_. There's a difference!"

"I'm not lonely." He nodded in her direction. "Not anymore."

Her cheeks fought the streak of her tears and a quivering smile, flushing light pink. "Good answer. Very smooth."

They made small talk over the last of their drinks. Kia insisted on showing Ikko the rest of Preternatural Street, and so they made their way back out onto the main stretch. As they meandered in the direction of the shops, a hand seized Ikko's shoulder. He yelped, jumping away.

He recognised the teacher he'd nearly bumped into in the corridor. "Oh, Mr. Kotsubo!" Kia chirped, spinning in the direction of the noise.

"Tayama," the man withdrew his hand, scratching the back of his head. His frown didn't shift, giving his apology a strangely even undertone. "Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to scare you. It's Akada, right?"

"Sir. I-I mean yes, sir."

"You showing him around?"

"Yep!" Kia practically bounced, "What are you doing out here?"

"Actually – I came to see Akada, if you don't mind me stealing him for a moment." Kotsubo opened his arm in the direction they'd come from. Ikko looked across to Kia, who only shrugged.

"There's some clothes shops a few doors down. I'll wait for you?"

She skipped off, leaving Ikko alone with Kotsubo. "Let's not keep the lady waiting, eh?" Kotsubo suggested, guiding Ikko to a quieter alley just off the high street, around the corner from Café Black Cat. He came to rest against the wall, locking eyes with Ikko. Even relaxed, Kotsubo towered over him.

Ikko dug his hands into his pockets, averting his eyes. "Something I can help you with, sir?"

Kotsubo didn't answer straight away, simply staring the boy down. "How're you finding Yokai?"

"It's fine, sir. Fun."

"Must be difficult," he said, not once budging from his frown. "A new transfer amongst all these friendship groups. Must get lonely."

"It's only been a couple of days," Ikko mumbled, "There's time yet. Kia's nice."

"Tayama? Yeah, she's a good kid…" Kotsubo tipped his head to once side. His neck popped. "Miss Shirayuki treating you right?"

Ikko's gaze snapped to his. The reaction he'd hoped for, if the corner of his mouth gave anything away. "S-sir?"

"It's no secret she's looking after you whilst you adjust. I'm surprised they picked her, really. Freshly qualified…"

"She's good. Fine." He tried not to think about the G.T. classroom as he defended her.

Kotsubo smirked. "Listen, Akada. I won't mince words – we're both men here. You don't have to go along with her."

"Huh?"

"She's sweet on you, right?" Kotsubo lurched, drawing up to full height and advancing on Ikko. His voiced dropped, conspiratorial. "She always did move fast. Little lost transfer struggling in his new school… pulls at the heartstrings. She always did love a snowflake."

"I-I don't-"

"It's alright." Kotsubo leered, convincing Ikko that it was anything but. "I won't tell. Not too long ago, it was the other way around."

His mind swam. What did he mean? Kotsubo continued on before he could ask. His hand pressed down hard in Ikko's shoulder, causing him to buckle awkwardly to one side. "Sir…"

"Don't worry. You just tell me if it gets too much, alright? She's a volatile one. You've seen that much yourself, haven't you?"

Ikko babbled something that resembled a protest, faltering under the weight of Kotsubo's glare. "Thought so. So, if she does something you're not comfortable with…?"

"Sir-!" Ikko yanked himself away, panting heavily. He rubbed the shoulder Kotsubo nearly crushed, staring up at him with sheer panic. "I really don't know what you're talking about. Miss- Miss Shirayuki's just my teacher. My homeroom teacher. That's all."

Kotsubo's hand hovered where he'd placed it. He barely restrained a laugh, cracking horribly through his deadpan. "So that's how you want to play it? No worries. It's almost admirable." He stuffed his hands back in his pockets, turning back to the main street. "You go have fun with Tayama. My door'ss open when you need it, Akada – and you _will_ need it, I guarantee that…"

He stalked off, looming above the crowd that parted around him. Only when he was certain Kotsubo was gone did Ikko let slip a hiss of pain, clutching his shoulder. Tears stung his eyes. He peeled back his shirt, feeling out what would surely be a wicked bruise in the morning. "What the hell…?"

"Ikko!" He jumped out of his skin, shoving his shirt back into place and shrugging his blazer on. Ruby hurried towards him, wearing a bizarre waistcoat and jeans number. She'd tied her ebon hair back in a shockingly long ponytail. "There you are- What are you doing in the alley?"

"N-nothing, Miss," he stammered. She smiled, simple and warm as ever.

"It's Ruby, remember? I'm not a teacher." Ruby reached out for his shoulder. He hissed and reflexively pulled back. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

A storm raged in him, muddling his senses. One clumsy connection with Mizore had sparked the ire of an iron-handed teacher. What had he done to deserve such a grilling? "I-I slipped. Got turned around, that's all. Kia walked off without me…"

"Is that all?" Ruby pressed, searching his eyes. His gaze ducked and weaved erratically, trying everything to keep from meeting them. He scrunched them shut, squeezing the tears back inside.

"Yes. I'm fine. I am."

Ruby exhaled through her nose. "Alright… well, get back onto the high street. Call Kia, if you can – it's not safe to be wandering out here alone."

Knowing exactly where she waited for him, Ikko made a show of taking his phone out. "I will. What are you doing out here, Ruby?"

Ruby tinted her smile with a knowing wink. "My job. Also shopping – but mainly my job."

She walked him back onto the high street before waving farewell. Having lost all appetite for exploration, or his appetite for anything beyond his room, Ikko braced himself for a disappointed Kia as he neared the clothing stores, spying her waving brightly from afar…

* * *

Mizore hesitated, knuckles an inch from the door. The hours between her confrontation with Kotsubo and now gave her time to think. Time to sit and stew, focus on her work, and finally cool off at the end of the day. She came to understand why Ruby spoke of Tsukune; after all, what better way to assure a human in a school for monsters than to share a success story? Never minding the details, the fact remained that a human attending Yokai survived long enough to graduate and find happiness. If that didn't reassure a soul as nervous as Ikko's, what would?

That just left Kotsubo, and the bile that such a thought sent gurgling through her. To speak so brazenly to a colleague, in earshot of a student! Not to mention all the scars his words dared to tear open. She scoffed. He had that way about him…

Her fingers stroked against the door. Mizore's mind began to shift. She could deal with Kotsubo. He didn't have a leg to stand on – wouldn't dare step up, given his past misdemeanours at Yokai. One more slip would see him fired, surely. He couldn't risk more than words. Mizore nodded, reaffirming her resolve. His words stung, of course – and the mood she'd returned to Ikko in had downright terrified the poor transfer. She could always apologise to him, try to make amends…

Ruby's door swung open. Dressed in a sheer nightie and pulling a ludicrously fluffy gown about herself, the woman stifled a yawn. "Are you going to come in, or are you going to keep muttering outside my room?"

Mizore flinched, jumping onto her back foot. "I wasn't muttering!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. She didn't bother stifling her yawn, ramming home the ungodly hour. "Come in…"

She mumbled her way through an apology as she wandered in. Ruby's slice of the staff dorm looked much like the others – an awkwardly wider-than-single bed, complete with desk and a studio kitchen. A simple bedside lamp filled the room with warm, dim light, just enough for reading or navigating in the early hours of the morning. It always smelled of burning incense, with a new flavour filling the air every time Mizore visited. She sniffed. "What is that?"

"Rosewood. You like?"

"Mm."

"I expected you earlier," Ruby huffed, putting the kettle on, "Drink?"

"Wine?"

"Wine?" She looked back from the kettle.

Mizore shrugged. "It's been a rough day."

"A rough day doesn't call for _wine_." Ruby tutted. "Gods above. Chamomile or peppermint?"

"Chamomile," Mizore muttered, scolded. She shrunk into her seat, crossing one leg over the other, and waited for Ruby to bring their mugs over, "What do you mean, you expected me?"

Ruby sighed as she pulled her chair around the table, bringing herself closer to Mizore. "You used to sneak in all the time in your third year. Figured you'd keep the trend, what with your new job. How's teaching?"

"Teaching's fine." Mizore filled her nose with the herbal tea, before taking a thoughtful sip. "It is what it is. Stick to the curriculum and keep the class on point until you find your feet."

"Sure. What about the rest of your job?"

At this, Mizore's shoulders slumped. Continuing the trend of her third-year visits, Ruby managed to hit the mark with one question. "You told him about Tsukune."

"I did."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Like Kotsubo before her, Ruby's words crushed Mizore's composure, causing her day to flood back in painful colour. "You knew Ikko'd ask about him!"

"Did he?" she tipped her head, taking a quiet sip.

"Of course he did!"

"Mizore-"

"What?"

"It's two in the morning."

She exhaled harshly. "Sorry."

Damn her patience. Ruby smiled, placed a hand on Mizore's knee. "I didn't know he'd ask, for the record. I didn't mention you at all."

"He put it together quick enough, once he got over his nerves."

"Anyone would." She wanted to correct her, but Ruby's every choice carefully soothed her. Mizore sulked over her tea. "How are you feeling?"

"Ruby-"

"I'm just asking. These are the only times you'll talk to me," Ruby, too, took a sit. Swaddled in her robe, it was a wonder she hadn't dozed off again, "The only time you'll talk to any of us, if I understand it."

"I was travelling," protested Mizore, "I needed space."

"That was three months ago. You've been preparing for work for the past month." Ruby counted them off on one hand. "What happened to the other two?"

"Ruby…"

"Not so much as a letter. We worry, you know?"

"Who sends a letter?" Mizore quipped, smirking over the lip of her tea.

"You know what I mean!" she giggled. "A call or a text. Anything."

"I text you."

"About your new job, yeah. What about the rest of your life?"

Mizore leaned back from her hunch. She stared at the ceiling – the same as hers, but… warmer, somehow. More homely, more welcoming. She considered burning incense in her room. "I visited mom."

"How is she?"

"Alright. Someone had to break the news to her."

"How did she take it?"

"She's a mom." Mizore shrugged. "She has her priorities, for all of her nagging."

Her voice emptied as she spoke, like pouring out a leaking vase to inspect the cracks. Ruby squeezed her knee, stroking gently. "Bad enough that Ikko got curious," Mizore continued after a long sigh, "Kotsubo reared his head."

"He spoke to you as well?"

"Yeah – did he speak to you?"

Ruby shook her head, pulling back to drink. "Ikko."

"Ikko? When?"

"When he was out with that girl. Kia?"

"What did he say to him?"

"I don't know. Spooked him, though. Wouldn't say a word to me. I only caught the end of it."

Mizore groaned. "I'll see if I can't get it out of him tomorrow."

"Don't push too hard. He's a scary guy, Kotsubo. What did he say to you?"

"Nothing new. Picking on me for doing my job."

"You know bullying's not tolerated, especially amongst the staff."

"If I kick off, it'll just get worse. He's a new man, remember?" Mizore rolled her eyes, thinking back to his apology. "Had to bend over backwards to keep his job. If I say anything, he'll double down on Ikko."

Ruby pondered over a drink, watching Mizore. The yuki-onna slumped against the table, tea forgotten. She buried her head in her arms. "I just wanted a job," she whined, "Not another human. Not Kotsubo, not this…"

"Yokai rarely gives people what it wants," said Ruby, "Not without them working for it."

"Tsukune got everything he wanted," she didn't need to see her face to know Mizore's pout. Ruby softened, reaching out to stroke a hand through Mizore's hair.

"You know how much that cost him."

"Yeah…" Tensing initially, Ruby's affections soon earned the woman a weary smile, "How is he?"

"Good. They're good. I'll tell them you're okay – but Mizore?"

"Hm?"

"This is the last time I'm telling them. You can't keep hiding."

"Hiding's my thing."

"Not from this. Not from us."

Mizore leaned back in her chair, curling inwards to pinch her brow. "I know…"

Ruby stretched out, rolling her head from side to side. It spilled long weaves of black hair over her. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"If you want." She didn't move. Ruby considered her.

"Do you want to sleep over?"

"What? No!"

"Then go on! Take that with you." Ruby ushered Mizore from her seat, bidding her goodnight with a tight embrace.

Finding it nearly impossible to frown after such a thorough mothering, Mizore retreated to her own room. Located on the opposite side of the hall, the stock furniture had been set out as a mirror to Ruby's. Unlike her desk, filled with books and a basic personal computer, Mizore arranged home comforts – a TV, still on the pause menu of her game. She set her mug down, picking up her controller and considering finishing the night as she started it. Such thoughts survived the first yawn, but not the second, and so she retired with the memory of rosewood and Ruby's gentler words carrying her off to sleep.

* * *

Ikko's second day of school passed with a blissful lack of excitement. Lessons came and went, he navigated the halls a little better, enjoyed lunch with Kia – and before he knew it he was walking back to the dorm, fielding his new friend's complaints. "It's just a reading assignment."

"Yeah, but it's _work_. How can you be okay with _work_?" Kia stressed the word like she'd developed an allergy to the concept. He could almost imagine the hives.

"It's, like… half an hour. If that."

"But it's the second day! We've been back, like… not even forty-eight hours."

"Then don't do it," he suggested, shrugging. Kia choked, struck by his blunt tone.

"Not cool! You're supposed to say 'We can do it together!'"

"Have you ever read stuff with people before?"

"Have you?"

Ikko shifted. "Not the point – do you remember anything about what you read?"

Kia paused. "So, there was an _attempt_ at reading, but we… got distracted."

"By…?" Her cheeks flushed, and she laced her hands together.

"Stuff."

"Stuff." Ikko repeated, deadpan.

"You know – stuff!" She pushed him. As he recovered from his stagger, apologising to the couple she'd shoved him into, Ikko saw noticed a hulking figure stalking in the opposite direction of the students. Kotsubo. Their eyes met, and for one brief, gut-churning instant before he waved at Kia, Ikko swore he saw a monstrously mischievous smirk warping his placid features.

He walked past the pair, weaving around the students without so much as a word Ikko's way. His shoulder stung – he checked the purple splotch he'd masked with a t-shirt under his school shirt. "Anyway," Kia carried on, oblivious, "It's not due until next week. I'll do it later."

"Sure."

"Can I come bug you?"

His attention returned. "In the guy's dorm?"

"Oh, please – it's not that big a deal."

"What about the rest of your friends?"

Kia stumbled over her words. She pushed her fingers together. "They're kinda… hanging out with Masumi."

"Is that why you had lunch with me?"

She nodded. "N-not that they're better than you or anything, but- yeah… I don't want to be around him, and he's stuck to 'em like glue."

Ikko sighed. "Give me a couple of hours to knock this out."

"I thought you said it was half an hour's work?"

"Hey – I get distracted too."

Kia pulled a face. "Oh, I did _not_ need to know that."

"What?" She laughed. Ikko's cheeks burned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing! What you do in your room is your own business."

He couldn't comprehend why she didn't need to know about his playing video games, and so left Kia to her giggling. "I'll see you in a few!" she called. The stairs split part ways up, dividing the male and female wings. He took the left; she, the right. Ikko took the stairs two at a time on his way up to the sixth floor, seeing the elevator packed tight with chattering lads. Why had they put his dorm so far away from the others?

He decided it didn't matter. Sharing a kitchen with one other reclusive soul meant way more fridge-space; meant more ingredients; meant better food. As he pondered what to cook, Ikko nearly tripped over the parcel left in front of his door. Roughly wrapped in brown paper, the parcel practically opened itself when he picked it up. Two things fell out. The first thing, forming the bulk of the parcel, was a book. A bizarre thing, an old thing. Torn paper and odd ends stuck out from the spine, glued in and attached with haphazard care. A picture of a rabbit adorned the front, suited in theatre garb complete with ruffle, blowing into a trumpet. He turned it onto its back. No name, no title… Someone's journal?

His heart skipped as the second item solved the first's mystery. A note, handwritten in clumsy, spiralling cursive.

'Come see me. Cliffside, back of staff room. I'll tell you everything.'

M. Shirayuki…


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: It's very easy to get distracted on my days off. I've wanted to play video games all day!**

 **I've realised that indulging in that makes me feel like I've wasted my time; but rewarding myself with it after completing some writing, well...**

 **Here's chapter six. I hope you enjoy - I'm off to play!**

* * *

Ruby hugged the box closer to her chest. Whatever her burden contained gave a violent wriggle of protest, threatening to scatter the stapled papers resting atop its impromptu prison. "Shh, shh!" She hissed, holding it up to eye level and staring at blank, unfeeling carboard. "We're nearly there. Calm down…!"

It stopped. Ruby sighed – only for it to catch her off-guard with a fresh escape attempt, nearly wrenching itself from her grasp. "Hey- hey! What did I say!?"

She quickened her step, taking the last two flights of stairs at a run. "Phew…" she gasped at the top step, relieved to finally see the sign for the sixth floor. "Alright. Nearly there…"

This time, she said it to herself. She'd stopped caring for the quarrelling box, letting it jerk this way and that as she backed onto the corridor.

Stopped caring, that is, until she saw another person in the hall. She muttered a curse, hastily tucking the papers under her arm and wrestling the box behind her back. They weren't moving, slouched against the door she needed to knock on. Ruby's heart sank, recognising the blonde hair and small body of Kia. Could she be waiting for Ikko?

Ruby approached, footsteps quiet, ears pricked. She heard the sniffling as she drew closer. Why was she crying? She called out softly, then again when Kia didn't answer. "Excuse me?"

The girl's head shot up, fast enough to smack against Ikko's door. "Ow…" She groaned, clumsily wiping her eyes with her sleeves. She'd discarded her uniform for cloth shorts and a dark hoodie.

"Are you okay?" said Ruby, trying to present herself in such a way that carrying a box behind her back didn't look suspicious in the slightest.

"Yeah," Kia sniffed, digging a tissue out of her pocket. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Mhm," she nodded tremulously, holding back whatever caused the tears, "My friend, Ikko. He's doing homework."

Ruby arched a brow. "And he's forcing you to wait outside?"

Kia shook her head, middle-length blonde hair scrunched into a clumsy ponytail. "Mm-mm. I tried knocking, but I guess he can't hear me. Must have his music on or somethin'…"

"Well," Ruby set the box down gently, placing her heel on it to mask any rattling protest, "How about you try again? Use your hand this time."

Kia laughed, standing up and dusting herself off. She pawed at damp eyes and streaked makeup with her sleeves before knocking. "Ikko? Ikko, there's someone here to see you."

She paused, looking Ruby up and down. "I-I mean besides me. She has a box. Who are you?"

"I'm Ruby," she bowed her head, fishing in her jeans. "I work security for the Academy. Here – I've got a spare key…"

Kia knocked again. "Ikko?"

No answer. Ruby reclaimed her box and hefted it into one arm, shuffling forward. "Did you check the kitchens already? The common rooms?"

She nodded to both questions. A worry twisted into the pit of her stomach. Ruby slid the key into place. "How come you have a spare key?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you have a key to Ikko's room?"

Ruby stared at Kia. "Because… I'm campus security? We have keys for every room."

"What's in the box?"

Recognising the attention, the box rattled viciously under Ruby's heel. She laughed. "Oh, this? It's just a wild thing I caught out in the dorms. Don't worry about it."

"There's a label on it…"

"We're sending it to a shelter!" Ruby interrupted, putting herself between Kia's wide, bloodshot eyes and the box. "Don't worry about it, seriously. It's not harmful – it's the paperwork that's for Ikko. More importantly…"

Ruby finally turned the lock. The door swung wide.

Kia completed her question. "…Where is he?"

* * *

Miss Shirayuki guided him along the cliffside when they'd first arrived at Yokai. A mere two days stretched out like a lifetime behind Ikko, as he stared out into the impossibly endless expanse. The ocean captured the murk of the weather on high, dark clouds shifting like pools of ink.

It never rained, despite the constant threat. Neither crack of lightning nor roar of thunder disturbed the grotesque shadows swirling overhead. Murky. Dismal. He wondered what the place looked like in the sun. More monstrous? Less? He'd find out, if only he could live that long.

If only… Ikko scoffed, clutching the scrapbook closer to his chest. Mizore asked him out here, promising answers. Promising the truth. Promising everything. What did that mean? The secrets behind her glare? The reasons behind her instability?

He traced the outline of the scrapbook's cover art. Surely the answers waited for him in these broken pages, in the rebound cover and the myriad scraps stuffed, stitched, and stuck into the original pages of the book. A life's work; perhaps a school life's work. Memories of her time at Yokai? Memories of home?

Memories of Tsukune?

Ikko puzzled these things – but another thought soon caught his curiosity. Why give it to him? Why not bring it along? Why not turn up at his dorm room, like she'd done on his first day?

Why? _Why?_ Why didn't it make sense?

He took a seat a comfortable distance away from the edge, too scared to let his feet dangle. Waves frothed and foamed, breaking upon the face of the cliff before slinking back into the empty dark. Ikko conceded that nothing made sense. Not one jot – not even he made sense at Yokai, the lone human in a school for monsters. Not Kia, the wretched beast who so readily helped him forget their first horrific encounter. Not Ruby, the woman who found a smile as she guided him gently into this savage world. Not Mikogami, who wore a monk's habit in a place surely so far removed from the light of his God. Who even wore such things anymore? Well, his mused, head tipping. Monks.

Even Mizore didn't make sense. She made the least sense, a walking jumble of fractured characters. Time with her was time spent circling a crystal, each facet catching the light in different ways; sometimes subtle, like the difference in her laughs; other times radical, like how she'd swung from sorrowful quiet to hateful silence. Each new facet taught Ikko something, and yet also raised ten more questions about the woman herself. He longed for the easy answer – longed for a simple facet, like her last laugh.

And what a laugh! Wild and wilfully delighted, bright as the sun's glare through melting frost. If only every second of their time thus far warmed to such mirth, his first days at Yokai could have been an altogether more pleasant experience. Even now his own smile curled to think of it. No-one else laughed like that – and how he ached to change that. He wanted Kia to laugh like that – wanted Ruby, wanted Kotsubo and Masumi and all of Yokai. He wanted to _make_ them laugh like that. If only they could. If only _he_ could…

The weight of Mizore's scrapbook reminded him of its presence, dragged him from reverie. He could surely find the key in here. Surely – but no. He would wait for Mizore. Wait for her answers; and then, maybe, strike at the truth of her hurts. Find that smile again.

"There you are."

* * *

Mizore picked up almost immediately. She huffed, and the clatter of wooden drawers followed her voice. "Ruby?"

"Mizore, hi," Ruby forced calm into her voice, "I'm with Kia at the moment. I don't suppose you've seen Ikko…?"

"It's your turn," she grunted, swearing to loosen some container or cupboard. "I'm busy."

"Is everything-"

"No!" Mizore shouted, loud enough to cause Ruby to wince away from her phone, and for Kia to stare at it, confused. "No, Ruby, it's not alright. That son of a bitch…!"

"What happened?"

"He broke into my office!" she continued. A sharp snap, the sound of a kicked desk, ripped through the speaker. "Broke into my office and took – he took my goddamn scrapbook…"

"Your- Mizore, that doesn't make any sense." Ruby sighed. "Are you sure you didn't just… leave it somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure – and I turned my office upside-down, did I?"

Her brow furrowed. "No, I suppose you didn't. Still…"

"Wait."

"What?"

"Wait – Ruby?

"What? What?"

"Did you ask me where Ikko was?"

Ruby and Kia exchanged a glance. "I… did?"

"Meaning he's not in his room?"

"No- I'm here now, with Kia."

A dreadful silence weighed on the moments between their words. Mizore spoke again, suddenly calm. Clear. Afraid. "We need to find him. Now."

"Now?" The chime signalling call's end stopped her. Ruby stared at her phone.

"Miss?" Kia whispered, clutching a hand to her chest. "Where's Ikko…?"

Ruby looked to her. Examined her, appraised her. Her smile faded. "What can you do?"

"Miss?"

"Kia, answer me. What can you do? Are you fast? Can you track?"

"I-I can fly, sorta…"

"Good enough." Ruby jammed her hand into her pocket, extracting a wallet and one of the cards within. She pressed it into Kia's hand. "I need you to find Ikko. Can you do that?"

"I don't understand- what's wrong? Is he alright?"

"We're going to find out," Ruby repeated, firm, "You get outside and you fly until you find him, clear? Anyone stops you – and I mean anyone – you show them that card. You don't stop until you find him; and when you do, bring him right back here. Alone. Okay?"

Kia gulped. She clutched the card so hard it might snap. "What if he's not alone?" she breathed.

"You call this number." Ruby pressed her smartphone into Kia's hands, pointing to the field marked 'M. Shirayuki' "You call this number and tell us where we can find him. That's it. Clear?"

"Right. Right."

"Now, Kia! Quickly!" Ruby's urging hastened Kia's flight from the dorms. The box rattled underfoot. "Oh, for the love of-"

She opened Ikko's room and stuck the box inside, praying that the creature wouldn't break out in its boredom, and sprinted for the emergency exit. Once on the metal stairwell twisting down to the ground floor, she pulled up her trouser leg to unhook a small wand strapped to her calf. Basic – but it would suffice. She gathered her magic, conjuring raven's wings of her own to take skyward and join the search. Mizore came first; with Kia's desperation on their side Ruby did not doubt the girl's ability to locate her friend, and if Kotsubo was involved…

She found Mizore sprinting from the main campus. Ruby landed roughly in her path, feathers exploding outwards. "What are you doing?" snapped Mizore, composure burning on the pyre of her fury. "We need to find Ikko – why are you here?"

"I'm here for you." Ruby's wings flexed, stretching. Their tension betrayed the evenness painted onto her features. "If Ikko's in trouble, I need you to focus."

"You're joking. I _am_ focussed-"

"Not on Ikko!" Ruby interrupted. "Kia'll find him before too long, but if Kotsubo gets there first then our priority is to get Ikko to safety. He's not _built_ like us, Mizore, and he isn't like Tsukune; if a fight breaks out and he's caught in the middle…!"

"I know," Mizore hissed. "I know!"

Ruby reached out for her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kotsubo won't hurt him. Like you said, he's not going to take any risks. Let's find him together – and calmly. Okay?"

"He won't if he's smart," Mizore shook her head, "If he's dumb enough to ransack my office, Ruby…"

"If he is, he's picked a fight with the wrong security officer." Ruby assured. "Now come on – let's help Kia."

* * *

Ikko shot to his feet, taking a wary step away from the approaching shadow. "Sir…?"

Kotsubo stalked towards him, smirking all the while. "Akada. What are you doing out here by the staff dorms?"

He stammered, trying in vain to hide Mizore's scrapbook. "What's that you've got?" Kotsubo pressed, leaning to one side. "I know that cover… that's Shirayuki's, isn't it? Where'd you find that?"

"I didn't," Ikko choked on a breath, "I didn't find it, it was-"

"Shirayuki never loses her scrapbook." Kotsubo stopped a foot from Ikko, hands in his pockets. "Never misplaces it. Never leaves it out. If you've got it…"

"It was outside my dorm room!" he protested, voice cracking, "Outside with a-a note, and it told me to wait… here…"

A terrible, epiphanic bud took root in Ikko's gut. Kotsubo sneered. "Which is it, then? Is Shirayuki coming to confess the truth of her obsession? Or are you lying to a teacher, stealing another's most prized possession, and blackmailing some fun out of her? You work fast for a second-year. Only on your second day… I guess snowflakes aren't so unique after all."

Defeat slumped Ikko's shoulders. Of course. Of course. There would be no truth from Mizore, no reason for her to part with such a precious thing. No reason at all, unless… "You wrote the note." He whispered.

"Me?" Kotsubo scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. What do I have to gain, drawing you out here?" He unhooked his hands from his pockets, fingers coiling hungrily, "But if I caught a student out here, lurking by the staffs' residence with one of _their_ personal items… You understand how this works, don't you? You understand what I have to do, for the sake of the academy's continued peace?"

Ikko's mouth opened, closed, useless. Trapped. Like Kia before him, he felt his mind slip away, content to watch this all play out. He burned for the injustice of it, giving his next whisper an edge, however feeble. "Let's not mince words…"

"Hm? Speak up, Akada. If you've got something to say, tomorrow's too late!" Kotsubo barely masked his triumphant laugh.

"Let's not mince words." He forced his eyes up, facing Kotsubo. "We're both men here."

"Are we?" His laughter rang out, crushing. "All I see is a kid hiding the truth from his superior."

Ikko's mind raced. What could he want? What could Kotsubo possibly want? If he'd gone to such lengths to get him out here, alone, to frame him with this notebook-

Mizore's notebook…

"What are you doing?" Kotsubo arched a brow. Ikko took another step back, his arm outstretched. He held the notebook over the cliff's edge.

"I'm not lying." He hissed through grit teeth. "I'm not. But you don't care, you- you don't want to care. You want me in trouble, want Miss Shirayuki in trouble…"

"Bold words – but it's still a teacher's authority over the pleas of a stranger. Don't be a fool, Akada."

Ikko paused. It was his turn to smile. "Don't be a fool?"

"Get away from the cliff," Kotsubo growled, smirk slipping, "It's not safe."

"If I drop this, there goes the evidence." Ikko rushed through his retort. "Then it's just a teacher threatening a student, right? Then Miss Shirayuki doesn't get in trouble."

"She deserves a fall." A snarl ripped through Kotsubo's calm, twisting every word. Seizing his advantage, fuelled by the fire of the moment, Ikko took another step towards a cliff.

"She doesn't!" he yelled. "She's done nothing but help me – a-and all you want to do is hurt her! Why? What's she ever done to you?"

Kotsubo lurched forward. Ikko's next breath came through a crushed windpipe as the teacher's hands closed around his throat, lifting him clean off his feet. "Careful, Akada," he snarled, placing Akada over the edge of the cliff. His grip on the scrapbook slipped, held by failing fingers. His other hand scrabbled uselessly at the vice-grip. "You're putting your teacher in a dangerous position with these accusations!"

"Suh-sir…" Ikko kicked and struggled. Spots dotted his vision. "I cuh… I can't…"

"All I wanted was Shirayuki. She doesn't deserve Yokai," Kotsubo lifted Ikko yet higher. His grip tightened. "She'd be gone, you'd be gone, and it would be fine. But now… now I'll have to tell the board how I tried to stop you…"

"Suh-" Ikko gasped, flailing, but Kotsubo had him. His hands coiled like grasping tentacles, hooked into his flesh, unflinching.

"Yeah – that's it. That's all that happened. The new transfer couldn't take the loneliness. Couldn't take Shirayuki's rejection. I tried to stop him – tried to help him – but too late. Off…" Kotsubo took a step. "The cliff." Another. The wind roared. "He-"

 _Click_. The world froze. Kotsubo's grip slackened, giving Ikko just enough air to choke on. He dangled over grass, now, as Kotsubo turned to see Kia, leathery wings ripped through her shirt, panting, drenched in sweat, barely holding onto the phone.

The phone with the camera. Her thumb smashed madly against the screen, each time causing the faked click of a camera shutter. "Put him down." She gasped, wings flaring.

"Tayama…?" Kotsubo paled. "It's against rules to show your-"

" _Put. Him. Down_."

The stink of grass burned Ikko's nose as Kotsubo dropped him. His knees gave out, bile surged up his throat, salt gnawed at his eyes. Ikko choked it back, curling in on himself, on the scrapbook.

"Tayama," Kotsubo said, voice low, "Don't be stupid. What are you doing?"

"Protecting my friend." She held the phone up, clear to see. Her wings flared outwards.

"You don't understand. I found Akada here with Shirayuki's notebook! He's blackmailing his teacher!"

"You're lying." Kia spoke clearly. Ikko struggled, dragged himself up to see her. Her fists shook, knuckles white. Her eyes boiled and shifted, baby blues overtaken by putrid, rotten depths "All I saw was a teacher choking a student. Someone they're supposed to protect."

"It's a teacher's duty to protect the interests of the academy."

"Stop _lying_!" Kia howled, her voice piercing the gusts that whipped the cliffside. "How could you, Mr. Kotsubo? How could you do this?"

Kotsubo fell silent. Stunned. Ikko saw his chance, scrabbling to his feet and rushing to Kia's side, only to stumble and fall again, fear crippling what little strength remained to him. "Ikko!" Kia cried, making to bridge the rest of the gap. She stopped as Kotsubo's laughter joined the gales. Quietly, at first, soon growing louder, madder, more horrendous with every breath.

"All I wanted," laughed he, manic, "All I wanted was her _gone_. Now look what you've made me do, Shirayuki! Look at what I have to do!"

Ikko's world span. Something wet and cold snared his ankle, lifting him aloft. He looked – a tentacle! Another wrapped around his chest. Suckers grasped his shirt. Saltwater burned. As more grasping, writhing arms crushed and smothered him, he saw Kotsubo's body distend and explode outwards, eyes bulging, skull inflating, arms dividing into countless limbs.

Kia screamed – Ikko wanted to, but Kotsubo crushed every wisp of air out of him. He felt his ribs pop. His insides caught fire. Ink drowned his world, turning all to black…

* * *

"IKKO!" Kia howled. "LET HIM GO!"

"Why should I?" Kotsubo's voice gurgled from within the grasping mass. His main body thickened and undulated, losing its definition. He became raw muscle, absolute strength well befitting a beast of the depths. "Ah- ah. Not another move, Tayama. He's still alive in there – for now. You stay right where you are, and drop your phone."

"I'll kill you!" Kia seethed, her eyes now fully broken. Her skin took on an rotten shade as her guise began to slip. "Ikko's _mine_!"

"He's dead if you don't listen to your teacher!" Kotsubo cackled. "Drop the phone! Do it!"

The dull thud of plastic on grass marked her surrender. "Good girl. You made me do this – remember that. You forced my hand. Can't have such sordid things circulating around the academy. Yokai's got a reputation to preserve…"

His arms slithered across the dirt, claiming the phone and dragging it away. "Let him go," Kia shouted, courage failing her, "Let him go! Please!"

"I will. Eventually." Kotsubo sneered. He turned through the galley, admiring each photo as he deleted them. "Students must be punished for their sins. You threatened a teacher." One eye flickered towards her, endlessly black. "I'll make you regret crossing me, and then I'll dump you _both_. You can have him in the next life!"

His laughter roared, a cruelly crashing wave. Kia fell to her knees. "No… please-! Not Ikko…"

"That's it – beg." Once more, his arms snaked and crawled, this time towards the woman herself. "Beg and behave. I just might change my mind…"

She watched him flick through the photos, deleting each one. "And… that's… it. All- wait."

The phone vibrated. "What's this…?" Kotsubo's mirth stopped dead. "Message delivered… You- you already- you shared it!? Who?"

Kia gasped as Kotsubo's arms caught her, taking her by the throat. He held her aloft. "Who did you send this to? TELL ME!"

A chill broke the ocean gales. A flash of white sped by Kia. Claws ripped through Kotsubo's arms, and now the man screamed. "YOU!?"

"Me." Mizore didn't stop. Claws of ice cut through the mass of tentacles in a dance of white and spraying ichor.

"No-" Kotsubo roared, "No- STOP!" He flailed, what arms remained forming a thick trunk to bat her away. She vaulted overhead, swung down and struck true. She landed gracefully, bounding up again and hacking into the mass that bound Ikko. "You'll kill him!" howled the battered gym teacher. "You're KILLING ME!"

"I'm not." Mizore spoke softly, despite the savage violence she exacted upon Kotsubo. Her claws sunk into the heart of the mass, and with one great lurch she ripped Ikko from the heart. She leapt away from his renewed assault, landing beside Kia. Icy claws cradled the broken Ikko, covered in bruised, arm twisted out of shape. "Ruby!"

Kia's eyes snapped to the landing woman, wings beating powerfully to slow a sudden drop. Ruby wasted no time, helping Mizore set Ikko down. "He needs a hospital."

"Take him."

"Right!"

Ruby took flight, carrying Ikko with no trouble despite her slight frame. In the whirlwind of action, Kia could barely find herself. "M-miss Shirayuki…?"

"No time for that." Mizore snapped, matter-of-fact. "Kotsubo's pissed. He's nearly grown them back."

"Shirayuki…!" Kotsubo's maddened mantra echoed out. True enough, the arms she'd severed grew back rapidly, writhing with mounting fury.

"We need to subdue him." Kia's fists balled. "I know-" Mizore added, "I want to, too, but we can't sink to his level. I hate to ask this, but…"

"You don't need to." Kia took a step forward. Her guise slipped all at once, revealing her true form. Her wings splayed full, her jaw dislocated and her throat distended, warping her words into a death mask of her usual bright tones. Her fingers grew long, flesh torn to scrags as bony claws burst from her fingertips "I can stun him," she spoke, "I hope…"

"Alright!" Mizore swiped at the arms he threw their way. "Ready?"

Now twice her original size, Kia nodded. She took a single breath, lungs rasping, chest swelling, before caving in with the force of her shriek. Mizore clapped her hands over her ears, but even that didn't stop the dread song piercing through her. Kotsubo's own screaming drowned under the force of Kia's song.

It lasted only a second, before Kia's tattered throat failed and she surrendered to a violent fit of coughing. Ears ringing, head spinning, Mizore saw her chance. Kotsubo struggled to one knee as she lunged. "No-!"

Ice burst from her palm, freezing the air about the teacher. It clamped shut, forming a cage that bound his every movement, freezing over his mouth and strangling his raving.

Mizore huffed, pulling her palm away. Silence returned to the cliff. Seeing the fight end, Kia forced herself back into human form. Mizore looked away, out of courtesy, as bones snapped back into place and her body broke itself over and again, restoring a healthy blush and a vivid life to the girl's cheeks. She slumped against the grass, still coughing. "Are you alright?" asked Mizore.

"Fine," Kia cleared her throat, voice hoarse, "I'm not used to singing. I'll be fine."

Singing… Mizore strode over to Kia, kneeling in front of her. "You're a siren?"

"Part-siren," she croaked, fixating on the grass. " _Half_ , to be specific."

"Oh…"

Mizore looked back to Kotsubo, trapped in the ice. She reached for her phone, and found the security team's central number. Whilst it rung, she placed a hand on Kia's shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Miss?"

"Mhm?"

Kia held up the rags of her uniform, shivering. "I can't afford another one…"

Mizore laughed. "I'll sort that."

She sighed relief, lurching forward to catch her breath. Mizore stood, taking the call – and just like that, Yokai Academy returned to normal.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: It's a new month! I don't have much to say besides, only to thank you one and all for enjoying Thawing Permafrost so far. It's been an absolute blast, and seeing so many people write in recognising it from its older iterations is both surreal, and heartwarming.**

 **As always, please review if you have something to say, something you think can be improved! I'm always looking to hone my craft, and your help is invaluable.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

He felt the cold, writhing dark.

Ikko opened his eyes, seeing nothing, feeling everything. The world crawled over his skin. Grasped at his insides. Pulled him open, tore him apart. Squeezed him 'till viscera popped from his flesh like someone squeezing a sealed sachet, and he felt it. Felt the fragility of his human shell bursting and popping, eyes bouncing from their sockets, bones ground into dust. He screamed and that, too, invited the dark into him, crushing agony into silence.

He retched, lurched – and a fresh pain wracked his body. His eyes filled with light. A great weight smothered his body, but this warmed and swaddled him. Ikko stared up into the blank ceiling, breath heavy, laboured, brow dewed with icy sweat. "Shh…" crooned a voice. Something took his hand.

"Whuh- whah," he panted, incoherent. Every breath hurt, stabbing at his lungs, "Whu-oh, oh god…"

"Ikko- Ikko, look at me. Look at me." The warmth around his hand grew familiar as he turned towards the noise. Ruby's smile waned, run ragged with worry. "Look at me. That's it – there you are. I need you to calm down. Nice and easy…"

"Ruby," he wanted to squeeze her hand, to crush it, to hold fast to that single anchor of sanity, but every inch of him ached, "Ruby, Kia – where's Kia, what-"

A thousand questions flickered and spat from his mouth, but soon even that hurt him. He groaned, squirming under the covers. "Ikko- Ikko, look at me! Focus on me, come on…"

He brought his eyes back to her. "Breathe, now. In… out…" She timed her words, and with Ruby's guidance his panting even out, bringing clarity, calm, and whilst a thousand needles still priced at his lungs, he could focus on something besides the ache of his body.

"Where- where am I?" asked he, when Ruby became convinced enough of his calm to not direct his gaze back to her whenever it faltered. He lay on a long, wide bed fitted with clean linens. A single, harsh halogen lamp illumined the room, save for a square of light that pierced the frosted glass square cut into the door. In the far corner, a chair sat empty.

"You're at the hospital. Yokai operates a private facility for campus incidents." Ruby explained, stroking her thumb over his hand. Like her instructions, the rhythm grounded him, kept him from floating away into the mists of his pain. "What do you remember?"

"I remember…" Ikko trailed off. His mind flashed through the cliffside attack. He remembered Kotsubo. Remembered the monster. Remembered- "Where's Kia? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. Mizore, too – we got there just in time to protect her, but you…"

"Mizore…" Ikko took a moment, sucking a harsh breath as the pain flared. "Her scrapbook. He delivered it to me, he-he forged a note-"

"It's okay, Ikko. It's over."

"But Kotsubo-"

"Is being dealt with." The bed shifted slightly as Ruby lifted from her seat to perch on the bedside. She smiled down at him. "No-one's in trouble except him."

Ikko stared at her, his wild eyes eventually steadying alongside his breath. He took another sharp breath as pain shot through his chest. "Gh… What did he do to me?"

"Crushed you," Ruby whispered, "I healed the worst of the damage with my magic, but you're still in a bad way. The balm'll help you heal faster, but there's only so much I can do…"

"Balm?"

"You're wrapped in bandages with a witch's balm soaking into your wounds. It helps your body heal – and heal right. Magic fixes things quickly, but if a broken bone sets wrong…"

Ikko shifted. Sure enough, he felt something warm and slimy shift under the cover. "Don't move too much," she warned, "It might itch and it might sting, but if you disturb the process I'll have to start all over."

"Sorry…" he mumbled, staring straight up. "How long was I out?"

"Just under a day. Do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" Ikko closed his eyes. "I should eat, huh…"

"You should – but don't force it."

"Okay. I'll, uh…" he thought back to the cliffside. He hadn't seen Mizore there, but he remembered a piercing cold. Had that been her? "Where is she? Mizore?"

Ruby checked her phone. "It's pretty late. She should be in her room."

"Can I see her?" From the look in his eyes, Ruby didn't want to say no. She smiled, sighing.

"If she's awake, I'll get her to bring you something. Sound good?"

Ikko nodded, and Ruby excused herself to go find Mizore. He heard the lock click, sealing him in the room – and keeping the rest of that monstrous world away.

He watched the ceiling. The lack of company, the inability to move, the constant ache of his body – all became painfully apparent after mere moments. He itched but could not scratch. Hurt, but could not heal. Boredom gnawed at the back of his mind, but he couldn't talk to someone, nor could he play a game. He tried to focus on the noises outside, but with a locked door and a closed window, only the faintest, muffled songs of life struggled to entertain him. Ikko made noises of his own, hummed and murmured, digested the ordeal he'd suffered, but soon even those descended into frustrated huffs and stifled complaints.

A sigh exploded from him, and even that hurt! He swore under his breath. "Easy, son," replied a voice from the corner of the room. Ikko's heart stopped, "Hospitals – they're not fun, are they?"

"Who's there?" He struggled to angle himself in such a way that he could find the voice. A shadow rose from the corner chair, chortling. A robed shadow. A monkish shadow.

No, wait. It was actually a monk. Mikogami, specifically, and he waved with his typical cowl-shaded smirk. "Evening, Akada. How do you fare?"

"Headmaster!" Ikko exclaimed. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were here."

"Relax. I only just arrived."

Strange. Had he passed out? Ikko blinked. "S-sir?"

"Two days," Mikogami didn't elucidate "Well, three. If you count the day you've spent unconscious. Three days…" He advanced on the bed, placing a shrouded hand on the plastic frame by his feet. "And already the world of monsters visits its savagery upon you. How do you feel?"

"I'm in tremendous amounts of pain." Ikko grumbled. Then, as an afterthought. "Sir."

"I'd expect so," Mikogami chuckled, "Being set upon by a kraken cannot be a comfortable experience. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Ah, but you may rest assured than Kotsubo's, shall we say, his _misdemeanour_ , has been resolved appropriately…"

Could they just call it assault? Ikko decided not to fight the point. Ruby had told him to keep calm, so he listened as Mikogami went on. "Such is the world you live in, now. Instinct, emotions… broken hearts, personal grudges, old feuds, and feelings of more primal and simple natures… all are amplified in the world of monsters. Humans may get angry, may hiss and spit and fight and kill, but we are of crueller stock. Far crueller. Oh, the ways we can wound and maim… I daresay the human world would be quite covetous of our abilities."

Ikko forced a slower breath. Mikogami's smile coiled. "Does that trouble you, Akada?"

"It…" he gulped. "It terrified me, sir. Still does. The thought of- of Kia. Of Kotsubo, what they're like, what they can do… it's nightmarish. But…"

"But?" Mikogami asked, with a tone of genuine surprise.

He groaned, forcing himself to sit up. "Kia- she broke up with her boyfriend. Her heart's breaking, her friends are gone; but she took all the time in the world to show me around Preternatural Street. She helped me find my classes… she showed me her favourite café. I've never done that before. Never sat down with a friend for, for coffee. For fun."

"The same Kia tried to gorge herself on your guts mere hours after meeting you."

"She did!" Ikko agreed, "She did – and it's weird. It _should_ stop me from hanging out with her. I should be running scared at the sight of her, but I'm… not? Like you said, it's her instinct, isn't it? It's not _Kia_ , it's a thing she was born with. Like my eyes. Like Mizore – Miss Shirayuki's – hair. It's part of her, but it's not her, if that makes sense. Does that make sense?"

Mikogami folded his arms, weighing the youth's words. "In its own woefully naïve way – yes. But you understand, surely, that accepting that part of her won't stop it from killing you."

"But she'll stop." Ikko nodded, certain. "She stopped herself. She can do that. I trust her to."

"I'm struggling to decide whether your optimism is refreshing or concerning." Mikogami quipped, chortling. "I suppose I know the answer to my next question, then."

He considered the monk, wincing a little as he shifted into a proper seat. "If you're going to ask me if I want to go home, then yes. You do, sir."

"Because you can't?" he asked, "Miss Shirayuki advised me of your parents' decision. I'm sure something could be arranged, if you so wished."

"Because I-" Ikko took a breath. He tried to find a smile, clumsy and stricken with discomfort. "Maybe, yeah. I thought it was because I can't. Now, though… now I think I want to stay. They've all been so good to me, I- I won't turn my back on that."

They shared a long, hard look at one another. Mikogami broke the silence with a clap of his hands. "Excellent! I rather hoped you'd find some resolve. Lingering out of inconvenient circumstance would surely spell your demise. I shall finalise your paperwork and secure your attendance."

"Thank you, sir," Ikko relaxed. Though his words lifted a weight from his chest, it did not heal him, "I hope this balm kicks in…"

"Patience, Akada. The best remedies take time. Is there aught else you require?"

"No, sir. I think I'll be okay."

"Then I take my leave. Good evening." Fully expecting the monk to melt back into the dark, Ikko suppressed his exclamation when he used the door, expressing surprise at whomever he bumped into. "Ah! My apologies, I was just leaving…"

He closed his eyes, trying to pick out the other voice in the conversation, but the closing door reduced all to a murmur. Fate answered his curiosity when Mizore poked her head in, bemused. "Can I come in?"

"Y-yeah, sure."

She waited until the door closed behind her, holding paper cups in either hand. "What did the headmaster want so late?"

"I think he wanted to test me." Ikko winced, peeling the cover back. He finally saw the bandages – a full reel, maybe two, binding most of his chest, arms, and stomach.

"Test you?"

"Yeah, like… make sure I'm still committed to staying."

"Oh." Mizore didn't shift from the door. "And?"

"Huh?"

"Are you?"

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I'm staying. Because I want to, that is – not because I have to."

As if waiting for that confirmation, Mizore pushed from the door and wandered over to the bed. He'd seen her in shirts and plain trousers – office clothes, professional attire – but now she wore a simple off-the-shoulder tee and jeans. "Sorry I took so long. Had to find clothes, then find a place open for a drink – milkshake alright?"

"Where'd you find a milkshake?"

"There's a place on Preternatural that does 'em. They're open late for the third-years and staff."

"How late is late?"

Mizore guessed. "Eleven? Almost midnight? My phone's in my pocket. Well past curfew."

"Good thing I'm in hospital."

"Not really; visiting hours ended ages ago. Nurses're making an exception 'cuz you just woke up." Mizore sat at the edge of the bed, an arm's length away. She offered the milkshake, holding it tight until Ikko's trembling hands found purchase. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired." Ikko gingerly lifted the straw to his lips. He hadn't realised how dry his throat was, and suffered the icy bite of creamy chocolate with a grimace.

"You don't like it?"

"No-" he spluttered, "No-"

"I got vanilla-"

"It's fine!" He coughed, groaning, "It's good. Cold - cold hurts."

She softened. "It _is_ a milkshake."

His coughing persisted, causing fresh jolts of pain as his body jerked and snapped in ways mending bones couldn't handle. "Hey, hey…" Mizore hastened to shuffled closer, placing a frigid palm on his bandaged chest. "Take it easy. Breathe…"

"You sound like Ruby." Ikko moaned, leaning back against the pillow. He felt the warmth of his chest seep into her hand, melting her touch into something more comfortable.

"She told me what to expect. I've never played nurse or healer before."

"Nurse Shirayuki." His grin strained, battling past his grimace.

" _Just_ Mizore, thank you very much. Don't push it."

Silence's pall draped over them, as Ikko once more tried to calm his breathing, find a position that didn't antagonize his injuries. "Never been in a hospital before…" he murmured.

"Really?"

"Never needed one. Never broken a bone, never been that ill…"

"Pretty crappy way to break the streak, huh." Mizore lifted her hand from his chest, closing her fingers about her milkshake. She took a long draw, closing her eyes. "I owe you an apology, Ikko."

"Why?"

"Kotsubo's my fault," she began, hair falling in a thick, glacial curtain between the two, "I made one stupid mistake when I was younger, and he's never let me forget it. Even after all this time, even after his- his damned apology. Then you came along- and I always did _love_ a snowflake… I guess he saw his chance to get revenge."

Ikko listened but didn't quite hear her words. He heard Kotsubo's readily enough, heard the spite and the venom that plagued her, dragged her down, coiled her fingers so tight about her drink that the paper started to buckle. "Mizore," he croaked, trying another sip of milkshake. It hurt slightly less. "Mizore…"

"What?" She didn't lift her head.

"It's not your fault. I mean – Kotsubo could have left well enough alone, but he didn't. That's… that's on him, not you." He tried a smile that she couldn't see. "You saved my life. You don't need to apologise – I need to thank you. So, uh. Thanks."

Her head lifted, pushing back the curtain with a quick sniff and a brush of her wrist against her face. She smiled, eyes wet but calming. "Anytime."

Ikko nodded – then, remembering what started all this, asked, "Your scrapbook. What happened to it?"

"My- why does that matter?"

"It's important, isn't it?"

Mizore's shook her head. "You had it on you when he grabbed you. It fared slightly worse than you did."

"Slightly worse than every bone in my body broken?"

"It's not _every_ bone. But yes. It… well. It's scraps. No book. Just scraps."

Ikko gulped. "I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't, I shouldn'tve-"

She raised her hand. "Not your fault," she whispered, "This is on him. Besides!" Her voice pitched up, though her exhale betrayed the effort such energy took. "That's all in the past, that mess. My school days can stay between us."

"Between us?"

"You read it, didn't you?" Mizore assumed. Her brow flicked when she saw Ikko shaking his head. "You didn't?"

"Why would I? It's your scrapbook. You – I mean Kotsubo, and his note – said you wanted to explain everything. I wanted to hear it from you."

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "What's on the first page?"

"Mizore-"

"Tell me what's on the first page!"

"Mizore!" Ikko coughed, clutching his stomach. "I didn't! I promise."

"You swear?"

"I'm starting to regret _not_ reading it – but yes, I swear. I did not read your scrapbook. Would you read my diary if it turned up on your doorstep?"

She answered with by pinching an alabaster thumb and forefinger together. Ikko sighed. "I didn't. I'm curious – definitely curious, given your grilling – but I didn't."

Mizore nodded, understanding. Then, after a moment. "Not even a peek?"

"Oh my god- no! Not even a peek. Trust me, Mizore. We're friends, aren't we?"

Mizore opened her mouth, but no answer came. She latched onto her milkshake, abandoning Ikko to the quiet. "Aren't we?" he repeated.

"We are," she began, "It's been a rocky start. I've been- I've not had a great couple of days."

Ikko gestured to himself. "And I have?"

"That's not the point. My point is…" Mizore inhaled. "You've not had a fair shake from me. I got you dragged into this mess when I'm supposed to be keeping you safe. I don't know how Ruby does it…"

"Does what?"

"This!" She gestured between them. "Work and- and friends. I'm just about scraping by with my teaching, and on my first day the headmaster dumps this at my feet. No offense."

"None… taken?"

"I mean the situation. Not you."

"Right."

"So," Mizore paused to collect herself over a sip. "So…"

"So…?" Ikko tilted his head.

"So… I don't know! I don't know where I'm going with this. It's all very new. Teaching. Transfers." Mizore stuttered, again finding the right words, or admitting something to herself. Either way, it came forced, discomfited. "Friends."

"No kidding," replied Ikko, frowning. "Maybe… I-I mean, if you want."

"Maybe…?"

Ikko puffed his cheeks out, taking each word as they arrived, shaping them with all the clumsy care he could manage. "Maybe we learn together?"

"Learn?"

"I mean – be friends. Figure… stuff out." Ikko mumbled. "Y'know. I'm a human new to a school of monsters. You're a… teacher. New to a school of, er. Students. Monster students. So we figure it out. How does that sound?"

She laughed quietly, shuffling a little closer. "It sounds like you still need to work on your words – but I get what you mean. Friends."

"Cut me some slack. I just had every bone in my body crushed."

"Not _every_ -"

"Okay it feels like every bone. I've never broken one before, how am I supposed to know?"

They shared in their mirth. "Scoot," Mizore ordered, turning to sit properly with him. Ikko scooted to the absolute best of his crippled abilities, sure that Ruby would chide him for disturbing the balm so.

He didn't care. Mizore's cooling, soothing presence fought the oppressive warmth of the hospital bed; and she'd brought milkshakes! Having survived its initial bite, Ikko realised just how hungry so much sleep made a man. Neither shake survived the hour of comfortable, slurping silence.

"Your phone broke." Mizore announced, all of a sudden. "I just remembered."

"Aw- what? Really?"

"My scrapbook fared worse than your body." She nodded, "Your phone fared worse than my book."

Had she provided milkshakes and emotional connections to soften the blow of all that lost progress? Probably not, but it didn't work however he span it. "My games…"

"That's what you care about?"

"What else would I have on my phone?"

Mizore's eyes found his, flabbergasted. "Right. What else. Of course. The Academy's gonna cover the damages, given Kotsubo's antics were done on the payroll, so to speak."

"What's going to happen to him?"

"He'll be tried for assault, banished from the academy, and that'll be that."

"No jail?"

"The human world's as harsh a prison as you can get, Ikko." Mizore explained. "For monsters, it's every bit as scary and cruel as ours is to you."

He remembered home, peaceful, dull, empty, and couldn't help but wonder how that would inspire dread, fear, or even mild discomfort beyond crushing boredom. "Huh…"

"Point is, he's done for. Dealt with. Out of my life."

"Good."

"Good," she concurred. Ikko stifled a yawn. "Tired?"

"Not really. S'late, but… I don't want to sleep."

"That's sugar talking. You need your rest – another day like this, and you'll be on your feet."

A crawling sensation gnawed at the back of his mind, spreading from the top of his spine to his chest, yanking at his heart. He blurted an incoherent noise as Mizore stood, cups collected.

She turned. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, uh…" Ikko fidgeted, staring at the linens. "I- before I woke, there was this… thing. A dream."

"A dream?" He nodded quickly. Though feeble, his grip creased the covers. Mizore sighed through her nose, hovering at the half-opened door. "You mean a nightmare? Of what?"

Ikko struggled to answer. They'd dealt with Kotsubo – to have his spectre haunt him now would surely be a victory for the twisted man. "It's okay," he said, rushing, "You've got work tomorrow, right? I'll be fine."

"No, no… I can stay. If a nurse finds me, though, I'm gone." She closed the door again, lingered by it to check the corridor beyond for any patrolling staff. "No more milkshakes, though. You're supposed to be sleeping."

"Right." Ikko released the breath he'd been holding. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's a strange hell you've been through," she assured, pulling up a chair to sit alongside him. Her eyes shimmered in the half-light, empathetic, warm. How did she understand? "Get some rest."

Ikko slipped and struggled back under the covers. With such heavy bindings and the warmth bleeding through the bandages – the balm, no doubt, working its magic – he soon found Mizore's troubled smile slipping from view. What clouded her still, he wondered, but not for too long. Dreamless sleep drew him away from such questions.

His curiosity, for once, could wait.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: It's so hot... feels like my brain is on boil. Working full-time doesn't help, either.**

 **Here's chapter eight. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Ikko shivered uncontrollably. Kia's hand settled on his shoulder blade, her soft warmth fighting past the bandages. "Oh, don't be a baby," she chided, "You're the one who asked for help."

"I know, but-"

"Hey, why are they squishy?" She pressed on the bandages, ignoring his stammering. "Eugh…"

He could attest to the efficacy of Ruby's healing balm, as gross as it felt. She applied pressure that would have sent his head spinning a few days ago. "It's a balm," he recollected, "Ruby made it to help me heal."

"Ruby the… security lady? You know her?"

"Kinda – can we get this over with?"

"Fine, fine. Oh, ew!" Kia began peeling the bandages back, and the pale paste of the witch's balm clung half-heartedly to the soiled bindings, dribbling down his back. "Ikko, this is _gross_! Oh my god-"

"It's not that bad!" he spoke over her complaints. Some of the trickling ooze touched skin, causing a disgusted shiver.

"You're not the one- ugh, this is no balm I've ever heard of." Her complaints persisted throughout the whole process. He gathered the bandages in the bin and tied the bag off, relishing the feel of any air on his mended body.

"It wasn't like – like lip balm. Think healing balm."

"Is that why it stinks?" Kia wrinkled her nose. "Get in the shower."

Ikko turned white, then flushed beetroot. "Thuh-"

" _You_ stink! Get in there!" she all but pushed him into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. "Did he grind your brain to mush as well as your bones?"

Feeling the indignance due a lad manhandled in his own apartment, not to mention Kia's sullen snapping, Ikko did as bade and stripped all the way, throwing himself into the shower. As the water cleansed the last globules of Ruby's magic away, he looked through the steamed cubicle to the door beyond. "How's school?"

"What?" Kia called back.

He repeated himself, slightly louder. At least the walls were thin enough, and the hall empty enough, for him to shout his curiosity and now have someone listen in.

"It's not been that long. You've only been in hospital two days."

"Long enough."

"You've not missed much. No homework that I didn't drop off. Kinda lonely, really."

Ikko frowned. He scrubbed his arms. "No luck?"

The hiss of water obscured her silence. He couldn't tell if Kia collected or steadied herself with the sigh that followed. "They were Masumi's friends first. Everyone always was. He has that way about him."

"Right." He finished washing, and as he dried himself a knock sounded. "What?"

"That wasn't me – someone's at the door. Want me to?"

"Sure."

He listened for the lock turning. "Ah! You!" came Kia's surprise.

They stood just far enough away to hide their voice. Ikko heard only mumbling. "No – no, he's just in the shower. I'll get him- Ikko!"

On cue, he popped his head out of the bathroom. Kia snorted. "What?"

"Your hair."

He picked at the clumping noodles of brown sticking to his face. "What of it?"

"Doesn't matter. Ruby's here."

Kia stepped to the side, revealing Ruby. She came burdened by a box that seemed desperate to wrest itself from her grasp. "Delivery!" she announced, "How're you feeling?"

"Uh-" Ikko looked between them. "Naked. Give me a sec."

He closed the bathroom door, pulling his trousers back on and wiping the mirror free of steam to check himself. Same scrawny body, same sodden mop of garbage bag brown hair – only now he saw them. A thousand tiny nicks and scratches, pale lines scarring his chest and arms. He ran his finger over them, feeling all too keenly the fragility everyone warned him of. "Ikko?" Kia's voice called.

"Huh?"

"Did you die in there? Come on, we're waiting."

"Sorry."

He threw a shirt on once out of the bathroom, taking a seat at his desk. Kia sat opposite on the bed, with Ruby standing between them. She set the medium-sized box down and placed her foot on it, standing much like might put their foot up on a tavern bench to announce a toast. "Looks like you've healed nicely."

"We just took the bandages off." Ikko nodded.

" _I_ took them off, thank you very much." Kia pouted. "You sat there, stinking."

"Medicine's not there to smell nice." Ruby smiled. "You'll be glad to know that the investigation into the incident is wrapped up. Kotsubo's been banished."

It didn't quite lift the dread gnawing at the back of his mind, but Ikko nodded nevertheless. Kia scoffed. "Good!"

"Quite. With that in mind, the headmaster saw fit to authorize one of these for you. I'd meant to deliver it sooner, but – well." Ruby nudged the box.

Kia looked from it to Ruby, face contorting. "I thought you said the paperwork was for Ikko?"

"Paperwork?" asked he.

"Yeah – she had that thing on her last time, when Kotsubo grabbed you."

Ikko's curiosity glued him to the box. It rattled under his stare, frightening him back into looking at the witch. "Wh-what's in it?"

"Do you mind?" Ruby inquired, with a meaningful tip of her head towards Kia.

"Oh. Er. Yeah. I mean she's here now, so…"

Though Kia puzzled at their exchange, Ruby moved on. "It'll be glad to be out of its cage – don't worry, it's harmless – but with everything transpiring as it did, this'll be useful going forward."

She cut the box open and extracted from within a cylindrical cage covered in black cloth. "Now, Ikko," she instructed, "Don't freak out."

"What is it – a bird? Why would I freak out about a bird?" Ikko went back to staring at the cage. What good would a bird do?

"Not a bird, no." Ruby pulled the cloth off all at once, revealing a bare cage with shorn newspaper bedding. In the precise middle of the container, on eight spindly legs with a round body of mottled marble white, stood the weirdest spider he'd ever seen. It opened one bulbous, veiny black eye, locking onto Ikko. It stared. He stared back.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kia broke the silence. Both Ikko and spider-thing swivelled to face her.

"You recognise that thing?"

"Sorta? They're super rare."

"It's a shikigami," Ruby answered Ikko's bafflement, "A bit of magic that's out of my reach; they're bred for all sorts of things."

"You can breed magic?"

"You can breed shikigami, which are magic," Ruby clarified.

"I think one of Masumi's friends is from a family that does it," Kia added, "Yeah – Judo's… dad, I think? You can make a lot of money in the monster communities with these little guys."

Ikko leaned forward to tap the cage, each time causing it to blink and wobble unevenly. "I still don't get it. What's this gonna do for me?"

"I thought pets were banned on campus?" Kia added, eyeing Ruby. "Won't this just get him expelled?"

"This is a special exception headmaster Mikogami's wrangled for Ikko, accounting for his – his nature."

Ikko frowned, all too aware of the way Kia's eyes trained on him, demanding an explanation. It lingered in stiff silence before he cleared his throat, trying to push to the heart of the matter before them. "S-so what does it do?"

"Let me show you," Ruby unfastened the cage and swung the door wide, "Hold out your hand."

"What? No!" Ikko recoiled from the shikigami. Despite the promise of freedom, it hadn't budged an inch.

"She won't bite – do you see any teeth on her?"

"It's a her?"

"Ikko!" Ruby cut his questions off. "Your hand. Please."

He did as asked, and as soon as he extended his fingers out towards the creature it skittered into action. The shikigami placed one tentative leg on his fingertip, feeling like the slightest press of a needle, its eye watching the place where skin met chitin. It surged forward with frightening agility. He yanked his hand away, but too late – the shikigami crawled onto his hand. He could only watch, horrified, as the thing flattened the bulk of its body against his wrist, then wove its eight legs together into four pairs. Its flesh hissed as its limbs fused, taking on the shape of a bizarre, pale marble bracelet. He barely felt its skin against his. Ikko looked to Ruby, panic surging. "What is it doing? Why is it- _how is it-_ "

"Relax," Ruby assured. She pulled back the sleeve of her coat, revealing a similarly-shaped bracelet in black. "These shikigami are twins. One for you, one for me. White reads your vitals; black lets me know if they act… weird."

On cue, the black bracelet opened its single, inky eye and let out a high-pitched whistle. "See? It's working!" Ruby's delight did not assuage Ikko's quickening breath. "You'll only have to wear it in-school and off-campus. Any other time is your own, and you can remove it whenever you please."

The whistling grew louder. Kia stifled a giggle, hearing the twitchy Ikko's anxiety given sound and shape. She reached out to stroke his shoulder. "Ikko – Ikko, come on. You sound like a kettle!"

"I'm not a kettle!" he yelped, voice breaking. He focussed on his breathing, running the hand not wearing the shikigami through his hair. "Oh, boy…"

"It'll let me know if you're in distress," Ruby explained, "And mine can point me in your direction."

"What if you're busy?" he asked, breathing in louder than was entirely necessary. Kia shuffled a little closer, fingers scraping over his shoulder with an affirming touch.

"Then Miss Shirayuki will take over. Oh – when you want it off, all you have to do is this." Ruby lightly tapped the eyeball on her wrist, and in a flash her shikigami extricated itself from its transformation and leapt silently onto the bed. Ikko followed suit, and soon the pair stared each other down on the bed. "And hold your hand out when you want it back on. She'll only answer to your touch, so you're the only one who can take it off without ripping your arm out."

"Which someone could do," Ikko pointed out. Ruby shook her head.

"Kotsubo was a one-time thing. I don't think you'll find a threat like that in the student body; this is just a precaution."

"Eh…" Ikko's whinge signalled his confidence. He held out his hand again, strangling his disgust with curiosity to see the shikigami transform again. "You can't say the headmaster isn't thorough…"

"Preparing for the worst is his job." Ruby reclaimed her shikigami and presented Ikko with a small stack of forms. "Sign these when you're ready and hand 'em to Miss Shirayuki. Oh – and whilst we're aware of the circumstances, pets _are_ still forbidden on campus grounds. If a teacher who isn't Miss Shirayuki catches you playing with it, we're not going to be able to do much."

"How do I take care of it?"

"It's all there in the paperwork – they're low-maintenance, don't fret. Like a goldfish!"

Ikko failed to see how caring for a small fish in a medium bowl compared at all to the care of a cyclopean transforming glam-rock accessory. He continued to examine the shikigami from every angle, flinching away from his wrist when its eye opened to meet his. "So weird…"

"I think they're cute." Ruby protested, admiring her accessory with a small purse of her lips. "Now – I'll be going. Enjoy the rest of your day off, Ikko. Kia."

She bowed to each and departed, leaving the pair to their silence. Ikko continued to study the shikigami; Kia simply stared at him, lips flattening together in a thoughtful line. She wrestled with her question before, at least, broaching. "Ikko…"

"Hm?" He poked the shikigami, letting it find a home on his desk. It sat atop his laptop, drawn to the warmth and hum of the fan, and folded itself into a small ball.

Kia's baby blues shimmered with a trembling anxiety he'd never seen before. He'd seen her upset, seen her practically shatter, but this? She squeezed his shoulder, pulling him gently towards the bed, that they might sit together. Once there, she withdrew and knit her fingers together. "What did Ruby mean?"

"Mean?"

"Your nature." She whispered. "What did she mean by that?"

If he'd been wearing the shikigami, Ruby's would have surely screamed. His heart stopped, froze dead, then leapt into his throat, thundering loudly. "Uh-" he began, thickly.

"I've been trying to figure you out," she whispered, "Sure, Kotsubo put you through the wringer, but you took a long time to heal even _with_ help. And there's the fact that you never fight back, not even for self-defence. And…" she sniffed. "And your smell…"

Dread chilled his blood. By admitting to Ruby that he didn't mind Kia's presence for their discussion, Ikko had also implied his comfort with her knowing the intimacies of his circumstance. How could he have been so stupid?

"Ikko." Kia spoke softly, so that her words reached him, and him alone. "You don't have to tell me. It's the rules, after all. But… I have to ask…"

His heart punched against the walls of his chest. Fingers tightened on his knees, knuckled pressing up against his pale skin. What would she do? What could he say? How could he spin this? _Could_ he spin this?

Thoughts of Kia span out of control in his mind. Smiling radiance, the brightest laugh in the room, gleaming baby blue eyes. Would knowing shatter that?

Her eyes, too, shattered in his head. His memories of her bloated, distended, twisting into her true form. He'd seen it twice, now – and rather than inspire fear, it quieted his anxiety. Eased his grip. He breathed in, steeling himself.

She asked the question he knew she wanted to ask. "Ikko – what _are_ you?"

He opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat, squeezed and strangled by his erratic heartbeat. "I'm-" he squeaked. She lifted her eyes to his. Ikko cleared his throat. "Sorry. I'm… uh…"

"Yeah?" she urged, turning to face him. Her eyes opened wide and she leaned forward, but her fingers worried and stressed his duvet, ready to spring away at a moment's notice.

"I'm…" Ikko closed his eyes, wrenching from her grasp. "I'm human."

He daren't open his eyes. Daren't face Kia's response to terrible revelation. Daren't face the consequence of his foolishness, the weight of his admission, the warmth- wait.

Ikko opened his eyes. Something warm, soft, and smelling very much like Kia's deodorant wrapped itself around his head. The whisper of his name on her lips washed every scrap of fear away. Kia squeezed him tight against her chest, kneeling on his bed to face him properly, welcoming him into her arms. He hugged her waist, hands stiff and awkward given the angle, and the novelty of such an embrace.

"No-one else knows." He mumbled against her shirt, trying not to admit that he couldn't breathe in this beautiful moment. "W-well Ruby and Miz-ss Shirayuki, obviously, but… you're-"

"Shh."

"Okay." And it was, for about thirty seconds. "Kia, I can't breathe!"

"Sorry!" She pulled away, enough to let air flow freely. The sweet fragrance lingered between them, even as Ikko took an unceremonious gasp. Kia held loosely to his shoulders. "You're human…"

"I am," said he, a little hoarse, "My parents dumped me here, not knowing, and…"

"I can't imagine what it must be like," she whispered, "And when – oh, god, when I lost control… was that your _first_?"

"My first… monster? Yeah." Ikko nodded.

"Wow…"

"I-it's not been so bad. I mean, I mean there's Kotsubo, and Ruby and Miss Shirayuki hovering around, but…"

He realised the weight of Kia's hands on his shoulders. "I thought it'd be scarier," Ikko admitted, "Telling you. I thought you'd freak out. B-but then I remembered that, well, you didn't have a choice when you revealed yourself, so… fair's fair, right?"

"You didn't have to tell me," Kia spoke, words as soft as her touch, "But it means a lot that you did."

They shared a smile. Ikko's heart finally relaxed, letting his shoulders slump and his breath to start afresh. Kia giggled, throwing herself back into a tight hug, causing them both to topple back on the bed. "I can't believe it. I mean I _thought_ you might be, but- a human transfer! That's so cool!"

"It's not cool," Ikko rebuked, arms flailing. He wasn't sure where to put them. "Why aren't you freaking out? Shouldn't you be freaking out?"

Kia shook her head, doubling up as an affectionate nuzzle. "Why would I? Staff's okay with it, headmaster knows. What's the problem?"

She… wasn't wrong. "Besides," she continued, once more placing her eyes mere inches from his. Ikko's cheeks burned, "It's against the rules to talk about our true natures. No-one else is going to know unless you tell 'em."

"You won't?"

Her eyes rolled. "You haven't told anyone about me, have you?"

Ikko nodded, tiny, though in truth it was more because the only person he _could_ talk with about Kia's true form was the woman herself. The woman pressed so very close to him, on his bed. He cleared his throat. "Could you, uh- I mean…"

He looked down. Now Kia's cheeks flushed, caught red-handed. "R-right. Sorry. Guess I got a little excited."

"S'okay." Ikko moved back to his desk chair, folding one leg over the other. "Speaking of true forms, would you – uh, I mean, if it's okay, you don't have to…"

"Monstrel," Kia answered, immediately. Her smile lifted. "Fair's fair, right?"

"Monstrel?" Ikko's head tipped. He'd not read anything in his internet searches about those.

"Oh, um. Half-breed, basically. Like mongrel and, monster. Monstrel."

"Sounds racist," Ikko noted, tipping his head. Kia shrugged.

"Easier than 'Hey I'm a siren-wraith-hybrid.' Less assumptions, too."

"Siren… wraith… that's you?"

Kia nodded. "Mom's a siren. Dad's a wraith."

"Like a ghost?"

"No, it's-" Kia's smile faltered. "It's a little complicated. He never could explain it right. It's like… a spirit, but not? I don't know. He's real enough to make babies." She shrugged, offering no more.

Ikko blurted a laugh. "I guess that's real enough by anyone's standards."

"Right?"

"So… we're good?"

"Yes, Ikko," Kia's eyes rolled again. "We're good. Good as can be."

"Okay," he exhaled, "Okay. I'd just gotten used to you as, uh. A friend. I don't want to lose that."

"I don't want to lose you, either," Kia smiled, and the way she said it made him… fizz, slightly. He looked away. "So now what?"

"Huh?"

"We've got all day." Kia flumped back onto the bed. "Wanna chill? Go out? I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

Ikko smiled, marvelling at her ability to so easily slip from serious heart-to-hearts about the truth of their nature, their very being, the one supposed irreconcilable difference between his kind and hers, to casual day-planning. He indulged her, even though anxiety filled his stomach. "I could eat."

"Great! Black Cat it is!"

* * *

Mizore looked up at her door as someone knocked. "Come in."

Ruby sidled in. Mizore untangled her fingers from the mess of her hair and pushed her textbook away, closing her laptop. "Working hard?" asked Ruby.

"Studying harder. Exams are coming up." Thought she'd accepted the position of teacher, it remained an informal post until she qualified. As advantageous as her experience with humans was, the headmaster made it exceptionally clear that she needed to perform as a professional before anything else.

"I'll bring tea next time," Ruby offered, "I dropped the shikigami off with Ikko."

"How'd he take it?"

"With his usual level of panic. The twin started screeching as soon as he put it on."

"Hah. Naturally."

"Kia calmed him down quick enough."

Mizore's eyebrows shot up. "Kia was there for it?"

"Yeah – turns out Ikko had already told her about being human. He didn't mind her being there when I asked."

" _Really?_ " Mizore boggled. "Colour me shocked."

"I was surprised, too – but glad. Looks like he trusts her."

"I'd hope so, after all that."

Ruby nodded. They moved to the small table in Mizore's kitchen, but not before the former insisted upon preparing tea, as compensation for not arriving with some. "How are you?" she asked Mizore, bringing the kettle to boil. "I meant to ask, but I've been so busy with Ikko's healing. I'm sorry about your scrapbook."

"Mm." She waved her hand, dismissive. "I should have thrown it out ages ago. There're some rough times in there."

"Not all bad, though. You should ask Yukari – I'm sure she has some back-ups of the photos."

"Ruby…"

"I'm not saying you should hang out! Just ask her. Don't throw it all away."

She let her silence answer. Mizore picked at her hair and, seeing that she didn't want to discuss it further, Ruby offered a tentative smile. "Getting a bit too long…?"

"A little," mumbled Mizore, "But it's not so bad."

"Let me know if you want it cut. I'll take care of it."

The kettle's switch snapped as water boiled. Ruby busied herself with the tea, hovering by the mugs as it steeped. Mizore looked to her desk. "I hate seeing you like this."

Ruby's words caused Mizore to stiffen. "You _hate_ it?"

"Don't you?"

"No, no – it's just… s'weird. I didn't think you could hate."

Ruby smiled, wistful. She turned away from their drinks, leaning against the counter, and pulled at one of the tails she'd tied her hair into. "I hate a lot of things, Mizore. Seeing those I love suffer chief amongst them."

"That's not hate. That's compassion. Who says I'm suffering?"

"No-one." Her eyes, pink like her namesake, drifted closed. "No-one needs to."

"Ruby, please. I won't ask again." Mizore folded her arms. "I have enough to deal with. Exams, work, Ikko – I can't- I need to focus on what's in front of me. I can't keep looking back."

"We're not asking you to look back," Ruby insisted, "We're not the pain of your past, Mizore. We're your _friends_."

"I know you are – you don't need to remind me every time you catch me alone." Mizore coiled one hand around the other, balling it into a tight fist. "I don't need reminding. I need space. Is that so hard?"

Ruby quieted. "No, I suppose not. Apologies, Mizore."

She stewed as Ruby set tea down in front of her, squeezing her hands tighter. "I'm sorry, too."

"It's okay-"

"The exams and work, it's a lo-"

"It's okay, Mizore. You don't need to explain."

Mizore took a calming sip of tea. "You're far too patient for your own good."

"I spend my life dealing with hypercharged, manically active youths." Ruby explained, "And then there's the students, too."

They shared a laugh. "Will you be studying over Golden Week?"

"Maybe," Mizore huffed, "Probably. It's a lot to cover."

"You'll burn out if you push yourself too hard."

" _Thank you_ , mother hen."

"A break is good for the soul. Why don't you come out for a weekend with Yukari and I? Just Yukari and I, no-one else. Girls' night out."

"It really is a girl's night if she's coming along." Mizore muttered.

"Think about it, alright? We'll book a hotel, eat out… get away from Yokai for a bit. You might even, heavens willing, have a bit of fun."

"Heavens forbid," she countered, deadpan.

"Promise me you'll think about it?"

"If I'm not neck-deep in marking and my own studies, then yes, I will think about it. God, you're persistent."

"I learn from the best," she nodded at Mizore. She rolled her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Nothing to say today! I hope y'all enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

"Ikko – Ikko, I swear, if you're…" Kia's words coupled with the frustrated pounding of her fist on his door. He opened it, peeling back his headset, controller dangling loosely in one hand, shikigami perched on his shoulder. "Oh my god _you are_."

"I'm what?"

"You're- you! Mmmmrgh!" She stomped past him, Ikko just leaping out of the way. Given an almighty startle, his pet leapt from owner to desk, scuttling back atop the console and resuming its nap. "Look at this! _Look at this!_ "

She ripped back his curtain to reveal the perpetual miserable sky. Ikko never thought he's miss the spring sun. Kia gestured with enough violence to sprain her shoulder. His hurt just from watching her, but he couldn't see whatever it was she pointed to with such violence. "At what?"

"It's light out!"

"That's light?"

"Not the point! Curfew isn't for another three hours!" Kia slumped, defeated. "I'm not enduring another weekend of you gaming. I can't. I can't! You're killing me! Can we _please_ do something else?"

"But I've done my homework…"

Kia stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "You're kidding."

"No – seriously, I've done my homework."

"Not that! Oh, Ikko. Ikko Ikko Ikko Ikko… you're a nerd."

"…Yes?"

"Not the cool, sexy-smart, oh-I-build-robots-in-my-spare-time and girls-are-so-hard nerd. An actual, honest-to-god, eat-sleep-game-repeat nerd."

"Right…?" Though, he thought, girls were hard. Really hard, so he had that in common with the sexy-smart nerd. Didn't he?

"You need a social life. You need friends! I need friends! Something, anything to get you out of this room. I'll take more nerds! Actually, I won't. One of you is enough."

Her exasperation boiled over into exhaustion. Ikko didn't know if he should look surprised or offended, and so did neither. He stared blankly at his best friend as her tirade continued. "Nothing wrong with nerds. That's not what I'm saying. But you can't play games all the livelong day for the rest of the year! I can't watch you! It's so _boring_!"

"No-one's making you watch." He mumbled, eyes dipping. "Why don't you go hang out with Etsuko?"

He liked Etsuko, truthfully. Kia had introduced them shortly after he'd gotten out of the hospital. She shared their homeroom, but no classes with him; and as another private sort who kept to herself, her writing, and her coffee dates with Kia, he assumed there wasn't much room for 'the nerd'.

"Etsuko isn't you." Kia returned, pointed. Her arms wove tightly under her chest. "I want to hang out with you, Ikko. I want to have fun with you, not… sit here and rot – and she wants to hang out, too!"

"We barely talk…"

"She doesn't know you, and she wants to." Kia huffed, tapping her foot. Ikko set his controller down, hunching over himself. "Look, Ikko. If you're happy playing games every free hour you get, that's fine. It is. It's fine if you want to do that – but you're going to do that alone."

Two weeks ago, he might have contented himself with that – but now Kia's words cut, deeper than she probably meant. Ikko dropped on the bed, elbows on his knees, eyes glued to the floor. What did she want? What could he do? What was fun? All the answers he could think of they'd long tired of or, he saw, now only frustrated and bored her.

Sensing that she'd won in the worst possible way, Kia's stance dropped. She approached, kneeling in front of him. "Ikko?"

"What?" he said, voice trembling.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

"S'okay."

"I get it. I do. But – you can't hide out here and expect things to just… get better. You can't."

"I'm not hiding."

"Bullshit you're not hiding." The curse drew his eyes to her. Kia's blazed with an intensity that scorched his feeble excuses. "You might've been dumped here, but it's your choice to be miserable about it. Come out and make some friends, will you? If you need my help, you just gotta ask – you know that."

"And what if they're another Kotsubo?" he whispered, fingers curling. Kia cooled from her rage, grabbing his hands before he could seal them off.

"They won't be. Kotsubo was what he was – a freak, and he got what he deserved, remember? Anyone else tries to get at you, they go through me."

Their fingers linked. Ikko smiled, half-hearted. "You're not very big."

She scoffed. "Dude, seriously. You've seen how big I get. It'd take 'em a week just to walk around me."

He chuckled, soon coaxed by her giggling into a proper laugh. "There. See? I'm way more fun than staring gormlessly at your goddamn RPG's."

"Okay, I get it. Find something new to do."

"Club fest's tomorrow, after school," she suggested, "We could try and find something there?"

"I thought you were already in a club?"

"Not since Masumi," Kia shook her head, "Karate kind've lost its charm."

"Karate?"

"Yeah – y'know, martial arts."

"I know, I mean – you did karate?"

"Don't sound so shocked. Girl's gotta know how to defend herself."

"Huh…"

"What?" Kia pulled away, asking again. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Ikko reclaimed himself from the doldrums, pushing back his unruly mop of hair. "Just- you're a bit, well. I can't see it."

"Sexist!"

"No, no! I just mean that you're, y'know. You're too cute for me to imagine you kicking ass."

Her cheeks flushed, and her smile flickered from surprise into sincerity. "I could kick your ass, cute as it is."

"Of that I have no doubt. Wait, what did you say?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked. "So, we're agreed? Club fest tomorrow?"

He didn't remember agreeing, but was too fixed on her last utterance to pay attention to much else. "Sure, sure – what did you say about my ass?"

"What did who say?" Kia stood, straightening her skirt. "We're going out for coffee. You wanna come?"

"We?"

"Me and Etsuko."

"Do I have a choice?" Ikko asked.

Kia's baby blues rolled. "You have a choice – but there's definitely a wrong one."

Ikko sighed. "Let me save…"

* * *

Though they maintained a steady trickle of customers, Kia always managed to secure the same corner booth at the back of Café Black Cat. "She should be here soon," she said, waving Ikko over as he delivered their drinks, "Thanks for coming out."

"You made it pretty clear I should." Ikko muttered.

"Still – you could have said no, and you didn't."

He took the cushion next to her, sinking back and watching the world go by without them. Even on Preternatural Street, the campus mandated that all students maintain their Guise. Revelry beckoned recklessness, to be sure; every so often he spied a horn or scales, maybe an eye too many or too few, but it could just as well have been any other café in any other corner of the human world.

A patron caught his eye as they, too, watched the crowds and smiled at him. Ikko smiled back. "What kind of club do you want to join?" he asked, turning to Kia.

She wiped foam from her lip. "No idea. Newspaper club's always pretty popular. Did you see the latest issue?"

"Oh, with the uh- the festival ad?" Ikko recalled it. The Yokai Times, serving as bulletin, soapbox and cultural hub all at the same time, packed itself full of tidbits and goings on every two weeks. Its second issue this year, delivered to his and every other student's doorstep, advertised committee positions for the upcoming summer academy festival.

"Miss Shirayuki's gonna nag us for a booth idea. I wonder what we'll pick?"

"We'll need a class president, first."

"True. Oh – Etsuko! Here!"

Kia sprang from her seat, waving to the woman who'd just walked in. Ikko saw her hair first, vivid copper blonde flicking and bouncing like strands of flame as Etsuko weaved around the crowds, not once having to excuse herself. A lithe girl, about his height with eyes as green as spring grass and a smile to match. Small wonder she and Kia connected so readily. "Kia!" she exclaimed. "And – Akada? Is that you?"

He waved, meek next to the font of energy. "Good evening, Yanase."

She bowed. He bowed. Kia scoffed. "No, no! None of that. It's Ikko and Etsuko. What are you having?"

"Just a latte," said Etsuko. Kia wove between them, joining the queue. As she passed, the glint in her eyes told Ikko that this was his chance to make good on his resolve to try and be a proper friend.

She took the seat opposite him, smoothing her skirt and pulling her hoodie about herself. Ikko, still in his uniform, clasped his hands in his lap.

"How're you?" They asked together. Etsuko laughed. Ikko apologised. "It's fine. How're you?" she repeated.

"Good, thanks. You?"

"I'm good."

Kia reached the front of the queue. "Did she drag you into this?" Etsuko asked, pointing to her.

"N-no, not dragged. She thought I could, uh. Could use the fresh air."

"You're up on the sixth floor, right?" Etsuko quipped. "How much more fresh air do you need?"

"Apparently more." Ikko mumbled. Etsuko grinned.

"Well, it's good to see you either way. Oh, hey – did you see?"

"See?"

Etsuko bounced from her seat and joined his side, taking her phone out of her purse. Her voice dropped to a low, conspiratorial whisper. "There's been a sighting."

"A sighting?"

"Yeah - a monster got caught. Have a look!"

She pulled up a news article on her phone, handing it over. A private blog hosted the article itself, detailing the story of an alleged case of stigmata in a high-school girl, whose wrists, neck and eyes erupted into founts of blood in the middle of class. The blog paid very little attention to the event itself, focussing instead on the response of the school and the community.

Ikko pursed his lips. "How d'you know this is a sighting?"

"Humans go mad whenever something they can't explain happens in front of 'em. What else would cause an 'act of God' like this? Probably some girl awakening to her nature. Poor thing…" Etsuko trailed off. "Besides. See the author?"

He did. G. Morioka. "Morioka?"

"Yeah – he's an alum. Used to run my club a couple've years back. Shuzen knows him."

Names that meant nothing to Ikko, but he nodded anyway. Digging through the blog revealed more posts of a similar nature, documenting community reactions to unexplained phenomena across Japan. "So this – this 'Under Moonlight'. He keeps an eye out for stuff like this?"

Etsuko nodded. "There's a couple of sites like it. Monsters reaching out to let the rest of the community know what to watch out for. If there's one thing scarier than humans, it's a hysterical mob of them. We gotta look out for each other, don't we?"

Ikko tried not to take offense. He passed the phone back. "What do you think'll happen to her? The girl?"

"Well, don't you two look comfy!" Kia announced her return, passing a tall glass to Etsuko and joining them on the couch. All three bunched together, and when Kia saw the article on her friend's phone she sighed. "This again?"

"It's important." Etsuko protested, clutching the screen to her chest, "Ikko hadn't seen it."

"Really?" Kia leaned forward.

Ikko shook his head. "Phone's broken, remember?"

"Oh, yeah… when's that money coming in?"

"Money?" Both girls looked at him. Ikko hid behind his coffee.

"No idea. I wouldn't have known, anyway. Never heard of Under Moonlight or Morioka before."

"Me either," Kia added, "You showed me this morning. First I've seen of it."

"Don't sound so surprised that I hadn't seen it if you hadn't, either!" Kia stuck her tongue out at Ikko's protest. Etsuko laughed, hands flapping between them.

"Now, now. It is what it is – we'll probably see some kind of assembly about it in the next few days. Something something Guises are important."

"Over this?" Ikko asked. Etsuko nodded, stowing her phone and pushing her hair back behind her ears.

"Makes sense, doesn't it? A current event to remind us how important secrecy is."

Kia winked at Ikko whilst Etsuko had her attention on him. "Will you be sticking in your club?" she asked.

"Me? Yeah. What about you two?" Etsuko clapped her hands together. "We could always use more talent. There's a review section with your name on it, Ikko!"

"M-me?" Ikko pointed to himself. "I don't know…"

"Why not?"

"I've never written anything before. Well, once or twice for school, but…" Ikko's thoughts stuttered, revelation sparking. "W-wait, Etsuko. Could you bring that article up again?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I wanna check something. Please?"

Etsuko obliged him, and as he flicked through Morioka's writing, the name of the school caught his attention. "Huh…"

"What?"

"That's my old high school!" Ikko exclaimed. Kia and Etsuko shared a glance.

"You went to a human high school?"

"W-well, yeah. Where else would I go?"

"Man, you really did live out in the boonies." Etsuko murmured, green eyes renewing their gleam.

"You guys didn't?"

"Nuh-uh. Mom home-schooled me."

"Private tutors," Etsuko answered. "It must have been hard, living amongst them for so long."

"Never knew there was another one so close…" Ikko whispered, looking back to the article. A monster in his old high school… he'd only been there a year, but who?

"Surprised?" Kia asked, a knowing quiet in her words.

"I guess not." Ikko returned the phone, leaning back in his seat – and doing so dislodged the others. "I don't think the news club'll be a good fit for me. You seem so busy."

"Journalists never stop, even in their sleep!" Etsuko proclaimed. "Is what I'd like to say. Really – there's so many of us, it's easier to get the work done. You'd be fine."

"This is a hang-out, not an interview!" Kia interrupted, arm shooting skyward. "We're gonna see the rest of the club festival first!"

"Wh-who said I was interviewing you?" Etsuko shook her head, her hair a dance of fire between them. Ikko chuckled, but as their small-talk grew more animated, his thoughts again lapsed to the Moonlight article – specifically to the monster in question. What might become of them, now that they were exposed?

Etsuko had said that the only thing scarier than a human was a hysterical mob of them. If she'd awoken the middle of class…

A horrible vision plagued him, but Kia would not let him sit and mope. Her energy, ever infectious, dragged him back to the café, to coffee and friends. The troubles of both worlds, human and monster, seemed so very far away in her company.

* * *

Yokai Academy woke to an explosion of activity, nigh-unprecedented in the weeks since the students returned for term. Stalls once-barren and set up to mark space now shone and sparkled with painted signs, posters, demonstrations and invitations. Uniforms swapped out for costumes, mascots, cosplay, and more specific uniforms filled every corridor in throngs, outnumbered only by the students who milled between them, hungry for the spectacle and opportunity to join a new club

Ikko clutched his wrist, holding to his shikigami. Not since the welcome ceremony had he seen such a great throng of people, such a surge of life and passion, and yet he found himself alone in his bafflement. Even the first-years, wide-eyed and inexperienced, willingly gave themselves to the swelling tide of the event. "No such thing as a half-measure," he intoned, "Oh, boy…"

"Cool, huh?" Kia beamed at his side. They'd dodged the crowds and secured a vantage on the first floor, peering down at the main hall from the railings. "There's always another festival to plan for. Good thing this one's just for a day."

"Where do you want to start?" asked Ikko, hoping she'd recommend a club away from the main thrust of the ground floor.

"Anywhere away from the sports pavilions is fine with me," she replied. "Masumi's tending the karate stall, and I don't need that today."

"You're safe from sports with me." Ikko assured.

"I know. You're so scrawny."

"Hey!"

"Like a noodle."

"Kia!" Ikko protested, cheeks flushing. "Come on, that's not fair."

"Would you prefer spaghetti?"

"Okay – point taken, I'm a noodle. Can we pick a club?"

Kia laughed, his reaction successfully baited, and used the opening it created to sidle closer and loop her arm around his. "Let's check out newspaper first. I think Etsuko's heart might actually break if we don't at least show our faces."

"What are you doing?"

"Hanging on," she answered, big blue eyes aflutter, "It's a busy day. I don't want to get separated from my noodle in the crowd."

"I'm not your noodle."

"You just admitted it!"

" _A_ noodle. Not yours."

Refusing any more of her teasing, Ikko moved on. They followed the sign downstairs, skirting the edge of the crowds until they could no longer avoid it. Ikko shuffled and stumbled through the gaggles, excusing and apologising as he and Kia made their way towards the newspaper club room. Of the many and varied organisations, all of which struck Ikko for their bizarre mundanity, the newspaper stall dominated its claim of the festival. Issues and registration forms flowed freely, and both of them had paper pressed into their hands before they could even inquire.

Ikko looked down at the form, discomfort growing with every passing moment he spent in the crowds. A familiar voice caught his attention. "There you are!"

Etsuko bounced over to them, her curled hair frayed by the activity. Ikko, for once, noticed her clothing first; like many of the other club members – specifically the females – Etsuko donned a cheerleader's outfit emblazoned with the Yokai Academy insignia on her chest. She smoothed errant strands of copper-blonde, patting them down as she greeted them.

"What are you wearing?" Kia snorted, "I thought you were newspaper club?"

"I am!" She protested, "This was Miss Nekonome's idea. Said she wanted to drum up new recruits…"

It explained a lot of the attention, though Ikko wondered just how many of those forms were returned with sincere intent and a love for journalism. "Looks like it's working," he noted.

"Yeah, well. We'll see. Most of the forms just have contact numb- Oh, thank you very much!" Etsuko span on her heel, bowing as a particularly star-struck first year handed his registration form back. The flip from complaint to sunshine jarred. "Anyway. Room's open, and it's quieter! We have a bunch of back issues on the display if you want to check 'em out before you join."

"No tour?" Kia pouted. Etsuko returned the display with an exasperated huff. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! C'mon!"

"Wh-oh!" Ikko struggled to bid Etsuko farewell as Kia yanked him into the clubroom. There they found Miss Nekonome who, according to Etsuko, led the charge with her own variant of the cheerleader's uniform. Her tail swished freely, poking through a hole cut exclusively for that-

"Ow!" Ikko winced. Kia held her karate chop threateningly against his shoulder, where she'd struck.

"Perv."

"What?" Ikko looked around, furtive. She'd drawn no attention with her antics, but he loathed the prospect of risking it again. "She's breaking Guise." He mumbled, defeated.

"Yeah, and it's working. Eyes up, mister."

Ikko turned his attention away from Miss Nekonome and the poor sap she'd cornered with animated chittering, trying to focus on the displays. Arranged in a loose semi-circle and pinned to felt boards on tables, the club displayed cuttings and photos of the club, and their most prominent stories. At the periphery they found simple headlines about successful events or award ceremonies, but as they moved in towards the centre, where most of the students gathered, Ikko noticed a shift in the content. 'Phantom Attackers apprehended!', read one block printed bulletin, 'Monsters and Humans: The Great Divide!' read another. Stories of corruption in the academy systems, teachers exposed, exposés on an attack on the festival. He marvelled at the shifting soul of the club, and as students filtered away, granting him and Kia access to the centrepiece, he saw the heart of that movement framed in a single club photo.

Eight students gathered around a news stall set up for a promotional photo, judging by the way the clippings matched those on display in the room. Ikko's breath caught when he saw a familiar, but far shorter, shock of blue hair at the very edge of the group, peace sign peeking out of an off-the-shoulder sweater. "Mizore!"

"Who?" Kia chirped. Ikko slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Th-that's Miss Shirayuki. There! Behind the other blue-haired girl."

"Where? Oh my god, it is! When was this taken?" She checked the dates on the surrounding issues. "One, two – holy crap, four years ago? She's so _young_!"

Ikko's finger traced under the caption, reading the names aloud. "Left to right: M. Shirayuki, K. Kurono… T. Aono, M. Akashiya-"

"She's so pretty!" Kia gasped, pointing to the woman at the centre of the photo. Her pink hair and radiant smile led him to agree, but more quietly – fearing another karate chop. He read the rest of the names in silence, recognising Ruby standing proud behind a girl far too young to be in high school, arms around the latter's shoulders like a loving elder sister, and paying especial attention to 'G. Morioka' grinning roguishly on the far right, cutting a sharp figure in his black shirt and silver choker.

He marvelled at the photo, but as he did so, Ikko began to feel more like an intruder than an admirer. Without realising, he'd stumbled across the same memories that Kotsubo no doubt exploited to provoke her so. This Aono, then – unremarkable next to the pictures of grace and charisma surrounding him, but somehow the centre of the photo's attention. Everyone leaned and angled towards him, the nervous, beating heart of the News Club – and looking closer, he saw the fingers of the pink-haired Akashiya laced with his. It snapped into place, and for one terrible instant he understood why Mizore reacted as she did.

"Some of our best work." Etsuko announced herself behind them, tearing Ikko's attention from the photo – and just like that, warmth returned to the room. Clearly glad to find reprieve from the chaos outside, she blazed with a quiet passion. "That group there graduated year before last, but they left us with some massive shoes to fill. We're still waiting for our big scoop, but… maybe that's a good thing. You know Moka Akashiya, Kia."

"I do?"

"Remember at the festival last year? The grad speaker?"

"That's her? No way!"

"Yes way."

"And Miss Shirayuki, too…"

"Right? I couldn't believe my eyes."

Ikko's left arm tingled. He looked down to the sleeve that hid his shikigami, felt her bristle with tension. Strange, he thought. He didn't feel the anxiety that set Ruby's to shrieking...

He looked around the room, dread mounting. Had she noticed something he hadn't? Ikko counted students buzzing about the clubroom, talking amongst themselves. Counted Miss Nekonome still cornering that one hapless student, silent as she talked at him.

Silent as he locked eyes with Ikko. A horrid chill, so unlike the one he'd felt surveying the display, caused him to reach instinctively for the shikigami. "Uh- Kuh… Kia. Kia."

"What? Ikko, I'm talking – what's wrong?"

"We need to-" but he stammered too late. Their eyes meeting, he could but watch as the student gently excused himself from Miss Nekonome's lecture and bore down on Ikko with such purpose and intent that sheer force of will parted the crowds unconsciously around him.

Masumi.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: E3 is upon us, distracting my productivity as I go into full-tilt gamer mode. So many shiny new things! It's hard to stay on task.**

 **Here's chapter ten, slightly later than I'd like. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Mizore's hand tickled, coaxing her from sleep. She ached, feeling like great weight pressed down on her neck and back, pinning her to the smooth, cold surface she rested upon.

She sniffed, nose filled with new paper and the faintest hint of wood. Whatever she slept on clung feebly to her cheek as she rose. White paper fell away, revealing diagrams and paragraphs annotated with post-it notes. Mizore loosed a groan, flopping back in her chair, raking her tangled mop of hair. Asleep at her desk, caught in the frenzy of exam cramming.

Pulling her hand back, a sharp clatter caught her drowsy ire. She'd dropped her phone, and turning it over to check the time sent a bolt of energy along her spine, straightening her back and causing her next breath to hiss between grit teeth. It buzzed again, a white bar filling her screen with the text notification.

S. Sasahara: 'Where are you?'

Mizore toppled sideways out of her chair and fell into her clothes, hopping into her trousers. She cursed with every awkward jump, and this only worsened as a light rapping told her someone waited at the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted, as the knocking grew more insistent. "God – hang on – _what_?"

She threw the door open with such force that she lost her breath. The suck of air disturbed the high point on what could charitably be called a ludicrously large witch's hat.

Yukari looked up from underneath the brim. At fifteen she'd grown a small measure from her academy days, but still needed to clasp the accessory to her head when she craned to see her friends. "Are you-"

"Just waking up? Yes." Mizore huffed, slumping against the doorframe.

"Rough night?"

"No – Yukari, what are you doing here?"

Deciding that brevity would ease this particular exchange with an exhausted, crabby yuki-onna, Yukari replied. "A peculiar happenstance necessitated Ruby's immediate attention. She would have inquired after you, otherwise – but I found myself with neither pressing business nor-"

"Slow, slow down. Breathe." Mizore groaned. "I need a coffee… What 'peculiar happenstance'?"

The young witch needed only to show her wrist, tapping a small finger against it, for Mizore's eyes to roll. "Again?"

"She'll have it well in hand – but yes, again."

"If I could have one day without something setting off the alarm…"

"You shall. Besides – I believe you have a clubroom to advertise? Susumu asked after you."

"Susumu – oh, god. Right!" Mizore bolted, nearly forgetting to lock her door. Yukari's cape fluttered in the breeze she left in her wake, watching where her friend stood mere moments ago.

"Oh, Mizore…"

* * *

For all the times Ikko had accidentally met Masumi's glare across the room, for all the times Kia shied them away from his hangouts or spent lamenting the circumstance over a coffee, he always considered the guy a problem on the periphery. Not something for him to deal with – who was he to involve himself in the affairs of another's breakup? – just something for him to sympathize with. To murmur assents and offer 'it's okays' when suitably prompted, like an NPC repeating a chat option. Heartfelt enough, with on point and succinct delivery of his dialogue, but recycled and automatic whenever Kia veered towards the topic, before she picked herself up off the back of his comforting and moved onto the next thought.

Four strides to cross the space between them was all it took for that peripheral problem to lurch straight into view. To stare him down with green eyes blossoming with a wild glare blooming with savagery. Masumi didn't so much as invite respect so much as he inspired it, standing tall, limber and fair like a young maple. He smiled with sincerity that, had it been Kia, Etsuko or any other soul, Ikko would have responded to, and in that same gesture the ferocity of his eyes dampened into a gleam approaching polite curiosity. "You must be Akada," said he, with a wisp of a voice as soft and gentle as his face, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Masumi Yakumaru."

His hand opened with a flourish, offered to Ikko. He stared at it, digging his hands into his pockets. "My, Kia must have painted me as quite the villain. Sorry – Tayama." He chuckled, tone wilting. He retracted his hand to sweep back a styled cut of platinum blond hair. "Old habits. I guess it's to be expected."

"What are you doing here?" Kia hissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Masumi opened his arms to the clubroom. "Joining the esteemed newspaper club. Karate rather lost its charm when I lost my training partner. Judo might be sticking with it, though. I think he enjoys the discipline. Are you applying as well?"

Nothing he said outwardly offended, but every honey-laced word riled Kia further. She released it all in a long, shoulder-slumping sigh, but for her sake Ikko at least tried to glower. "Not anymore," she growled. Her arms folded, and she locked onto the floor as if it might carry her away from the encounter.

"A pity," Masumi answered immediately, flawlessly. He reached out gingerly for her shoulder. "I'd been meaning to talk to you. Y'know, we miss you – if you ever want to come out with us…?"

"Ikko," she announced, abruptly. Her voice trailed as she escaped the room. "I'll be outside."

Her slamming the door drew more than a few pairs of eyes, and plenty of hushed whispering. Masumi exhaled, loud enough for Ikko to hear, letting his hand hover in disappointment. "Guess it's still a bit too raw. My apologies, Akada – she must be quite the handful."

"N-no, she's uh…" Ikko realised he hadn't spoken a word until now. He cleared his throat. "She's okay. This is a bit weird, really."

"Weird?" he asked. "Ah, of course. I understand. Of all the things to come from our breakup, I imagine it must be quite jarring to realise that I'm not quite the monster she's been harping on about. Right?"

"U-um…"

"It's okay. It's fresh, for the pair of us. I regret a lot of my decisions that day." Masumi sighed, crestfallen. "Still, you should get after her, shouldn't you? Here's my registration."

He brushed past Ikko to hand over the slip of paper to Etsuko, who broke from her onlooking to accept it. "R-right. Thanks…"

He smiled at Ikko, leaving him wondering if he'd imagined the savagery thanks to Kia's retelling, and left for the rest of the festival. Etsuko looked at the paper, turning it over. "Masumi Yakumaru…"

"Long name," Ikko mumbled, trying to sound helpful, but Etsuko drew away from the conversation, reading his name over and again.

"Yakumaru…"

"Uh… Etsuko?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" She laughed, tucking the registration form into the chest of her cheerleader's garb. Ikko yanked his eyes away in time. "I gotta get back to the festival. Find Kia, will you? She probably needs a friend right about now."

"Wh-" She span with a flash of copper flame and a winsome smile, striding back to the newspaper stall. Sparing one last look at the display of the club's history, Ikko set off to find Kia.

He'd taken no more than five steps from the room when his world span, lurching violently to one side. His head knocked against the hard floor, vision sparking. Ikko groaned, curling in on himself. A large hand touched his shoulder. "You okay?"

Ikko tried to look at the man he'd bumped into. A titan, with arms like great trunks and a neck only slightly thinner. He frowned down at the puny lad who'd bounced off him with quiet concern. "Y-yeah." Ikko murmured, pushing himself up to stand. His shikigami vibrated against his wrist, and he pulled his disturbed sleeve over her before anyone could see. "Augh…"

"Head?" grunted the man. He offered a hand. "Your name?"

"Ikko. Akada – Ikko Akada."

"Mm. Good." The giant helped him stand, or more accurately plucked him from the ground like a tiger picked up their young, setting him unsteadily down to stand on his own. "No concussion. Please be careful."

He lumbered past Ikko, who shook his head and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Where had he come from? The festival was so busy he couldn't tell which way the man arrived from, and he now blended into the crowds, lost forever. Such being the nature of a cultural event, he decided, Ikko renewed his purpose and set out to find Kia. Having neither phone to text her nor any idea where she meant by 'outside', he wandered aimlessly. They had just bumped into Masumi, whom she desperately desired to avoid. He followed such hints until he found her, staring into her phone in a quiet, unused corridor on the first floor, near where they'd first looked out on the festival.

"Hey," he cleared his throat, announcing himself.

Kia's leaky eyes shot up, finding his. She sniffed, pocketing her phone. "Hey."

"I couldn't find you."

"Yeah – sorry. Got a little…" she looked out onto the crowds. "Got a little turned around."

Ikko bridged the last few steps that separated them, leaning on the railing next to her. "He's nice, isn't he?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Don't 'who' me. Masumi."

"Oh." Ikko pondered. "Eh. Anyone can be nice."

"No, but like _nice_. Like 'I wonder why she's so torn up' nice."

"I mean-"

"'Cuz I am!" Kia carried on, leaving him to realise that his part in the conversation was not to offer dialogue. Such was her wont, to bounce her words off him in the hopes of finding some that might stick. "I am. It sucks. I hate being alone. I hate seeing him with all my friends. I hate how goddamn _nice_ he is to everyone. And to you!"

She growled and raged, so much so that he could practically see the corner such feelings backed her into. Ikko shifted away, digging his hands into his pockets. "Doesn't Etsuko count?" he asked. "Don't I?"

"I don't mean – Ikko, come on, you know I don't mean it like that."

"Don't you? If you're alone even with us, then…"

"'Course I'm not! Are you deaf?" She advanced on him, fists balling.

Ikko flinched but held his ground. He dug deep, finding in himself the resolve not to flee, as instinct demanded; but to smile, as his desire to reach out to her inspired. "Then why does it matter what Masumi says?"

"It-" Kia paused. Her cheeks flushed. "It doesn't, but…"

"But…?"

She wiped her eyes on her blazer sleeve, sniffling. "But nothing! Let me be sad!"

"You wouldn't let me be alone." Ikko whispered. He tried what she had, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Why should I let you be sad?"

To his relief, Kia leaned into the touch, cheek brushing against the back of his hand. "Fair's fair." He urged, squeezing gently.

She nodded, quietly shuffling forward. Kia gripped to his shirt – he felt her nails scrape against his chest as she bundled polyester in small hands. He didn't move, keeping his hand on her shoulder. "Ikko." Came her muffled sigh.

"Mm?"

"This is where you hug me."

"Oh." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hunching forward slightly to secure her against him. He felt warmth in her, measured the way her shoulders yet shook with the ghosts of her tears, slowly regaining a regular rhythm. Enduring the last gasp of her upset, Kia's arms snaked around his midriff, hanging loosely about his waist. She whispered thanks, brushing against his chest. Could she feel his heart, thundering and stuttering against his ribs?

"S'okay." He mumbled, fighting past this novel onslaught of complicated, blood-boiling emotion to return to the present, with her. "You did the same."

"I don't know what it is. I see him and I just- he just…" She tensed. Ikko squeezed, and she melted back into the embrace. "I hate it…"

"We can join another club. Etsuko'll understand – and you won't have to deal with Masumi. Sound good?"

"Sounds great."

She held to him for a long time – so long that their bodies grew used to each other's warmth. Kia drew away, smiling up at him with glistening eyes. Reflex curled his lips before he knew what he was doing.

"Ikko?"

A new voice nipped at his ear, but he couldn't break from Kia's eyes. Bright, brilliant eyes. Kind eyes. Any brighter and he might spy his reflection in them, not that he wanted to. Her eyes were bright enough for both of them.

"Ikko!"

He felt Kia shift, rolling onto the tips of her toes. Hands that wrapped about his waist now clung afresh to his shirt, holding her up; pulling him down. Coaxing, ever so gently, that he might catch the sweetened scent of her perfume…

"Ikk-oh!" Ruby's voice cut like cold steel. Kia sprung away, cheeks flushing dark red. Ikko hovered, pose suspended in jelly as he processed the unwelcome lack of Kia in the following breaths. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean-"

She approached nevertheless, dressed in her usual garb. Kia tore away, suddenly fascinated by her phone. "Is this a bad time?" Ruby whispered, with a glance to his friend's back.

"No," Ikko murmured. Did his cheeks burn in response to the dusting of pink on Ruby's? Foreign indignance coiled around his tongue, a stranger wrapping an arm over his shoulder. He did his best to ignore it. "No, it's… fine. What's up?"

"What's up? Oh!" Ruby caught her breath. "Black went mad. I thought you were in trouble, not, uh…"

Why did she keep looking to Kia? For her part, she coiled even more about her phone. Ikko briefly entertained the notion that she aimed to crawl _into_ the device, feeling empathy for the desire. He didn't quite understand why he wanted Ruby gone, but he did – even if she was being so nice. "N-no, we're fine. I'm fine. Ran into Masumi, that's about it. No big deal."

"Right." Ruby nodded. "Right. Okay. Well. Er- I'll… leave you to it." She took a few steps back, still facing the pair. "Sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm sure!" Ikko blurted. Ruby, stifling a giggle, mouthed an emphatic 'Sorry!' before turning tail and hastening back into the crowds. Watching her leave, Ikko realised that he wasn't breathing properly. It came fast, sharp, excited. His fingers flexed, craving their grip on something.

No, not something. Someone. He turned around to Kia, still buried in her phone, and thought briefly of holding her shoulder again, reaching out to renew their embrace. His arms didn't quite obey him, a bizarre cocktail of nerves and the sensation of being caught in some terrible act staying his touch. He tried clearing his throat. "Kia?"

"What?" she yelped, nearly dropping her phone in her haste to spin around. She flattened her hair, tugging at the end of her ponytail. "What? Sorry – what?"

"You okay?"

"Fine! Great!" She spoke very loudly. Her cheeks yet burned, but only reached a soft crimson. "Why?"

"Uh…" Ikko couldn't quite grasp an answer. He looked to the corridor, to the throng of students. "Should we… find a club?"

"Club?"

"Yeah. To join."

She didn't quite understand, eyes a little bit on the wild side, smile caught in a quivering halfway slope. Manic, if he had to describe it – and that caused him to worry. Had the embrace been a bad thing? Had he misread?

"Do you need a minute?" He inquired.

"Why… would I need a minute?" she replied, stammering. Is that what he sounded like?

"I don't know." He fished for a proper answer. "Did… did you just lose control a little?"

"What? No!" Kia stumbled, hands flapping. "Well, yes- but no! Not like- not like _that_. Like…" Her yes darted from his. She scrunched them shut, tight, coiling – and then sprung into action, grabbing his wrist. "Come on! Club!"

"C-club!" Ikko agreed. Marching orders thusly received, they plunged back into the madding crowd, leaving their disturbed moment to gnaw at the back of Ikko's mind.

* * *

They didn't see Masumi for the rest of the day. Thusly focussed on their mission to find a club, Ikko found all his troubled thoughts drowning in the volume and splendour of the club festival. They played games, partook in demos, toured clubrooms – so many and so varied that he could barely keep track of them all.

At last, desperate to put his feet up, Ikko called for a break. They stopped by a vending machine. "My _feet_. Oh, god, my feet…"

He peeled a shoe off and left his foot rest on cold stone, sighing relief. Kia laughed. "You're such a wuss."

"I haven't walked that far since I fell asleep on the bus in middle school…"

"Yeowch. Want something?"

Kia, neither drained by the journey nor perturbed by the business, sprung up towards the vending machine. "Something cold. Anything cold."

"Okay. Uh…"

One clack, two. Ikko slumped forward, soothing his blazing soles with feeble massages. A cold shock bit into his neck, washing welcome ice into his body. "Better?"

Kia kneeled at his side, nearly as close as she'd been when Ruby interrupted them. Though she couldn't see, she heard the smile in his sigh. "Better…"

"'Bout time we stopped, really. We need to decide on a club, before all the slots get filled!"

Replacing her hand with his, he took a moment to slake his thirst whilst she took a seat next to him, stretching out. "Gaming." He nodded, thinking back to that first blissful hour spent on the consoles they'd set up in one beautifully air conditioned, furnished gaming room.

" _No_. No gaming. That's the reason you're out here, remember?"

"Aw…"

"What about the cooking club?" Kia suggested. "That looked fun."

Ikko shook his head. "Too intense."

"But you're a great cook!"

"I'm not great!" He rebuked. "Not like they are. Half of 'em wanted a cook-off."

"Oh, yeah. Some hazing…" Kia hummed. "What're you having for tea, by the way?"

"You mean what're we having for tea?" Ikko drained another third of his soda. "No idea."

"We should get Etsuko up."

"I'm not cooking for three!" Ikko sighed. The supplies stocking his sacred half of the sixth floor kitchen dwindled with disturbing rapidity. He made a note to buy groceries. "What other clubs were there."

"Mm… drama?"

"I can't act."

"No. No you can't." Kia snorted.

"You weren't much better."

"Hey!"

"What about…" They listed every single club they'd visited, finding that when one agreed, the other found fault.

Both slumped forward, defeated. "Not a single club we both want…" Ikko groaned.

"Let me see the map." Kia held out her hand. He fished for the crumpled, printed guide to all the stalls they'd used to plot their circuit of the festival. "Done that. Done that. No, no, no… wait, did we miss one?"

"What?" Ikko followed the line of her finger. She pointed to a tiny room marked 'Wr', the rest of the word cut off thanks to formatting and the frankly miniscule square it slotted into. "Wr… Wrestling?"

"Wrestling?" Kia's brow shot up. "In the middle of the cultural quarter?"

"Oh, right. Uh… Whittling? It could be a Wh-"

It was very small font. "How about we find out?" Kia rolled up the map, standing.

Ikko whinged. "I just sat down…"

"Oh, boo-hoo. Come on! We need to find a club!"

"Ugh…" He made a show of wrestling his shoes back on, standing with slumped shoulders. "Alright."

They retraced their steps, tracking down the corner that the mysterious 'Wr' club tucked themselves into. A classroom – to no surprise, thought Ikko. Without a dedicated clubroom, and only a small paper poster tacked to the front, small wonder they and every other student wandered past it.

"Writing!" Ikko read, gesturing with his finger.

" _Ugh_." It was Kia's turn to slump.

He tried to reassure her. "C'mon, it doesn't look as busy as newspaper. We can at least have a look…?"

Writing didn't sound so bad. It certainly made for a calmer pastime than gaming, cooking, or – he recalled his trial audition with a cringe – acting. He knocked on the door.

No response. "Maybe they're packing up for the day?" he wondered.

"It's unlocked." Kia took charge, sliding open the door and striding in. Ikko followed suit.

It took him a full ten seconds to realise that this was, indeed, a club. Not even a handful of members looked up from their distractions. Three, he counted. The first to respond, a woman wearing her hair up in a knot and chewing on a pencil, grinned broadly and lunged from her seat. She wore gloves – thick, black gloves that immediately drew Ikko's eye. "Hi there!"

"Hi." Ikko responded, looking to the remaining two members. They sat next to each other, the boy still flicking through his phone, eyes almost entirely obscured by a heavy fringe. His deep set frown seemed carved into his very being. His polar opposite practically shrieked at the sight of them, joyfully clapping her hands together. "Newbies! We got newbies! We're not the only ones!"

"Uh-" Ikko looked to the door. He looked to Kia. She shrugged. "…Yes. You do 'got newbies'."

"Sweet! Oi, Sushi. Sushi!"

The small girl jostled the screen addict, who valiantly pretended to be somehow even less interested in the development. Did they make people so tiny in the human world, Ikko wondered? Did she have any business shouting slightly louder than a freight train? These questions and more were stifled by the approaching woman, who offered a hand to the pair of them. She shook Ikko's and then Kia's, firm and sure. "Sorry about those two. I'm Susumu Sasahara, junior. This is my club. Well, mine and…"

She opened her arm up to the teacher's desk. Slumped forward, head in her arms, snoring gently, slept Mizore.

Kia gasped. Ikko blinked. "Please forgive Miss Shirayuki," Susumu bowed, her head. "I think she's been burning the midnight oil."

"I can hear you," called Mizore, grumbling from the depths of her makeshift pillow.

"Yes, Miss." Susumu winked. "So! Are you here to join, or just looking?"

"That's my line…" Mizore dragged herself into looking up. Bleary eyes spied the pair, waking just enough to recognise them. "Oh. S'you two. Hey there."

Ikko waved, struck dumb. She looked one sleepless night away from deciding that even consciousness might be too much effort. He clasped his wrist, feeling partly responsible. "Afternoon, Miss Shirayuki."

"Welcome to the Writing Club," she offered, stifling a yawn. Kia fidgeted, lingering by the door. Clearly her idea of a club involved slightly more people and slightly fewer sleeping teachers, "We're new. S'not much, but it's here for you guys to chill and… write."

"We did have a better marketing plan," Susumu quipped, "But the Newspaper Club stole our uniforms."

Ikko chuckled. The two youngsters now left the table, tiny girl dragging slouching boy, and they formed a small circle in the middle of the classroom.

"Are you here to join?" asked the girl. Ikko marvelled at her, hastily revising his definition of 'really short' to replace Kia with this girl. She looked tiny enough to sit reasonably comfortable on his shoulder, with a full head of distressed silver hair and massive grass-green eyes. "Oh, please say yes! It's no fun if it's just the two of us."

"Three," corrected the boy, still staring at his phone. Ikko spied the cable of an earbud feeding up into that graceless mop of dark hair.

"Sushi, you don't count."

"Sushi?" Kia piped up, nudging into the circle.

"It's his name," chirped the girl. Susumu laughed.

"No, it's not. This is Naoko Banno," she held her hand over the girl's head, "…and Nori Aiba. First-years."

"Newbies!" agreed Naoko, hand shooting up. It barely reached Ikko's chest. "Nori. Y'know, like in sushi."

Nori seemed unfazed, sold entirely to stoicism. Either that, or he'd somehow managed to tune Naoko's taunting completely out of his range of hearing, Ikko couldn't tell.

Kia introduced herself first, apparently warming to the bemusing, shrieking Naoko. "I'm Kia Tayama – second-year. This here's Ikko."

She shot Ikko a look that sang dangerously close to 'Can we keep her?' Ikko waved. "Ikko Akada. Second-year."

"Sweet!" Susumu clapped her hands together, leather dulling the noise. "Two first, two second, one third."

"One staff." Mizore murmured, chair scraping. "I'm getting a drink."

"One staff." Susumu rolled her eyes. "She's awful when she's tired."

"Heard that!" Mizore shut the door.

"See?" Another laugh. Susumu looked between everyone gathered. "If you're willing, Akada, Tayama, we'd love to have you. We're going to be a pretty chill club, not like the rest of 'em. We're just here to make friends and have some fun with our writing, maybe take on a couple of competitions, y'know?"

If he had any boxes at all for club criteria, Ikko found all of them ticked. "Sounds good to me. Kia?"

Kia had already taken to Naoko, and the pair were chattering animatedly, moving away from the group. Ikko watched them leave – Nori, too, retreated to the corner of the table, hunching over his phone. Susumu beamed, clapping her hands together. "I think that's a yes! Welcome to the club. Now, where are those forms…"

She saw them just behind Ikko, and leaned forward to claim them. "Oh, sorry-" Ikko began to reach towards them, turning to let her past.

"No, it's okay, I-" Her hand grazed his arm. Susumu yelped.

Ikko flinched, jumping away – but not before she did the same. Silence crashed over the classroom. Kia and Naoko stared. Even Nori looked up from his phone. Ikko stared at Susumu, confused. "D-did I step on you?"

Susumu didn't respond. She cradled the hand that touched him. Ikko clasped his wrist. She tracked every movement he made, amethyst eyes opened wide enough to reveal the whites, flicking from hand to face, to feet as he backed away. "S-S-Susumu…?"

"Y-you're…" she began. Her eyes flicked to the door. "You're…"

Ikko's shock warped. Dread took its place, for he realised it was not fear in Susumu's eyes.

Her eyes blazed with recognition.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Busy busy busy. I'm trying to keep pace, but life's been so hectic. Apologies for the delay.**

 **In other news, I'm looking for a character artist! Someone who can capture the cast of Thawing Permafrost. If you know someone who might be interested (or can recommend someone who's open for commissions), hit me up in PM's!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

He'd seen those eyes before. Knew that look. His first day shattered like a broken looking glass in his mind. He sat before Mizore again. Waited outside Mikogami's office. He recalled the fear he'd felt. It ate at the pit of his stomach, making way for the far fresher sight of Susumu.

Ikko snapped back to the classroom. Susumu stared at him, black glove covering her mouth. "You're… it can't- you can't be…"

He thought he'd be prepared. In this world of magic and monsters, he would surely encounter those who guessed his nature before he could hide it. Ikko opened his mouth to speak – to answer her, to assuage her, to beg her silence, to say anything only to have a strangled cry gurgle forth. "No, wait- Sasahara!"

She fled, door slamming. Ikko froze, hand outstretched.

Naoko broke the silence, for the first time speaking softly. "What was that about?"

Kia stared at Ikko's back, her face a blend of horror and dread, a mirror of his own. She recovered, forcing composure to countenance Naoko's question. "No idea. I'm sure she's mistaken – just a misunderstanding. Ikko?"

Ikko twitched. "Ikko!" Kia's voice pitched up, betraying the strain. "Maybe you should go clear it up?"

Even Nori looked up from his screen at the sound. Ikko's mind sped ahead of him, chasing Susumu down the hall, begging her to stop. What would she say? How might she spill the secret? If he was exposed…!

"Ikko – Ikko!" Kia pushed him. He stumbled, span to face her.

"What?"

"Get moving!" She hissed, pointing at the door. "Find Ruby! Come on!"

Ruby! Of course! "R-right!"

He barrelled out of the classroom, back into the dwindling crowds of the late afternoon. Even though everyone filtered into their new clubs or back to their dorms, they still numbered too many to pluck a face from them. Ikko's panic started to dwindle. Find Ruby – she could clear this up, surely, but how?

His shikigami quivered, feeding on his tension. The bracelet tightened. He stared at it, turning to face the wall to hide it from view. "Can you find her?" he whispered. "I-If your twin can find you, then surely…"

White's eye popped open, staring at him. It trembled, shook, then snapped down, pointing directly behind him. Ikko turned, and the eye swivelled to maintain its direction. "Yes! Thank you thank you thank you!"

He set off at a jog, checking the eye's direction as discretely as he could, around corners and dipping into empty classrooms. White's eye snapped left, right, each time snaking him away from crowds, as if aware of his needs.

Run ragged, Ikko slipped into another classroom on the second floor, clutching his side. "Where _are_ you…?"

He checked White. She pointed straight ahead, to the door sectioning off a private office. In his panic and the failing light of the afternoon, he barely recognised it. Ikko approached the door, examining the brass strip and laminated name plate.

M. Shirayuki.

The door flew open behind him. Ikko lashed about, backing into the corner. Susumu stood in the hall, eyes wild, amazed. "H-how did you…?"

"Sasahara!" Ikko gasped. "Please – please, you have to listen to me-"

"I looked everywhere." Susumu panted. "How did you know she's here?"

"It's not what you think." He pushed off from the corner, staggering towards her. Affording himself a moment's respite turned his legs to jelly. He lurched forward. "Please, let me explain!"

"Stay back!" She screeched, holding her gloved hand out. Ikko flinched, throwing his arms up to shield himself, legs giving out.

"Don't hurt me!" He cowered, fear curling him into a ball, desperation fuelling his begging. "Please, Sasahara, please just _listen_."

He plea became the mantra that wracked his gulping breaths. The stitch from his rushing caught up to him, straining his voice. Susumu stared, dumbfounded, arm stretched out to keep Ikko at bay. It flopped to her side, and she to her knees, both catching their breath.

"Your fear," Susumu sighed, after the longest minute sharing naught but their exhaustion. "God, Ikko, your fear. When I felt that, I knew…"

"Knew…?" Ikko unfolded, slumping back against the leg of the nearest table.

"Only a human fears monsters so." Susumu whispered. "It's instinct. You're like rabbits staring down a fox, you can't help it. A stress unlike any other." She pushed her hair back, dragging the bangs loosed from the knot of her hair back behind her ears. Susumu rested a dark palm against her forehead, looking to Ikko. "Akada, what are you _doing_ here? This is Yokai Academy, it's-"

"I know!" Ikko cut in. "I know where I am. I know what this is – what, what you are…"

Susumu's jaw slackened, her questions stuttering. He spoke before she could recover. "How did you know? You said that you, what, you felt my fear? What does that mean?"

"I-it's one of my gifts. I'm a – no, never mind that! Ikko, if you're here, if you _know_ where you are…! Oh, this is so messed up. How did you even enrol?"

"I'm-" Ikko's heart stopped and Susumu's breath cut off. A door opened, lock clicking.

Ruby's voice echoed out into the classroom. "Who's there?"

Ikko shot to his feet, head colliding with the desk. "Ru-augh… ow…"

"Ikko!?" The witch hurried forward. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?" As she rounded the table, she spied Susumu, staring wild-eyed at the bent-double boy. "Wait – Su?"

"Ruby?"

"Su?" Mizore's head popped out of the office.

"Ow…" Ikko rubbed the stars from his eyes.

"Mizore?" Susumu flicked between the three, slowly picking herself up. "What's going on? Ikko's – he's a human…!"

"Yeah." Mizore stepped out properly, leaning on the doorframe. She replaced her lollipop.

Helped by Ruby, Ikko perched on the desk, still soothing the sharp pain of an unexpected table. "You know?" Susumu blanched. "Ruby- you too?"

"If I didn't, I do now, with how you two have been shouting." Ruby sighed, patting Ikko's shoulder. "What's going on here?"

"Su – Sasahara, I mean. She touched me and kinda… freaked out. Then I freaked out. She ran. I chased. Now we're here."

"You didn't chase me." Susumu corrected.

"W-well, no. I went to find Ruby. I was hoping you'd find me first, what with that uh…"

"He's been quiet. I didn't think you were in trouble." Ruby exposed her wrist, checking her shikigami. Like White, his eye snapped to Ikko's location. "Did you tell her to find me?" When Ikko nodded, Ruby sighed. "That's why – Ikko, she can't do more than one thing. She either monitors you or she locks onto Black."

"Can someone explain why this isn't a reason for me to be freaking out?" Susumu blurted. Ikko covered his wrist. "This isn't like Tsukune, is it? He's not-"

"You know Tsukune?" asked Ikko. Mizore folded her arms.

"She enrolled in our graduating year – and no, Su, this isn't like Tsukune. Ikko's here on an outreach program."

"Experimental outreach," Ruby added. "Very experimental. So experimental it mostly happened by accident."

"Accident?"

"My parents dumped me here." Ikko explained, scratching the back of his neck. "The headmaster asked if I wanted to stay on or go home."

"You chose to stay? Akada, that's madness!"

"I said that." Mizore piped up.

"Mizore, don't tell me you're okay with this. He'll face hell!"

"I said that, too." Mizore closed her eyes. "Remember that student who got attacked by Kotsubo?"

"Y-yeah, the Times had a-" Susumu stopped short, following Mizore's finger as it unfurled, pointing to Ikko. "That was _you_?"

Ikko nodded, avoiding Susumu's stare as it shifted from shock to abject horror. "And you're still here?" she asked.

"I am."

"Why?"

"I can't leave." Ikko mumbled. "I can't – I don't want to leave my friend."

Susumu pushed her hair back, gawping at him. "Kia? Really?" He nodded. She blew her cheeks out. "God… so…"

"Please, don't tell anyone," Ikko urged. "I-if word got out that I'm human, then…"

"Su's a friend," Ruby assured, "She wouldn't be so hasty. Would you?"

"I-I don't know! I mean, this is big. It's huge! Another human…" Susumu shifted her attention to Mizore. "And you're okay with this? Protecting him?"

"Ikko made his choice." Mizore affirmed, closing her arms around her chest. "It is what it is."

Ikko thought back to the newspaper club, to the photo of her smiling with her friends. Seeing Mizore now, he struggled to link the two. He might as well have found the photo buried in a basement, faded from exposure and folded a thousand times, for how much the bright smile in the photo resembled the guarded teacher perched in front of him. His head hung. "Please, Sasahara. I don't- I don't want to leave. Yokai's as much my home as it is yours."

Susumu turned her back to him, walking away. She set her hands on her hips. "No pressure, huh?" Her shoulders slumped. "Who else knows?"

"No-one." Ikko replied. "W-well, Kia, but that's it. No-one else. Just us."

"And you want to join my club?"

"What?" He boggled. "Uh- I mean, if I can. If it's not too much trouble. I'll understand if it-"

"Yes or no, are you joining my club?"

"Yes!" Ikko shouted. Then quieter, reclaiming his sense. "Sorry. Yes. I'd like to join."

Susumu sighed. She ran her black hands through her hair – and they were black, Ikko realised, not gloved. He saw where darkened skin ended and pale wrists began as she unknotted her hair, retying it into a loose ponytail long enough to hit the back of her waist. She turned back to him, smiling. "Then it's our secret. Susumu Sasahara, president of the Writing Club. Pleasure to meet you."

She held out a hand. Ikko reached out, stopping an inch from her. Susumu bridged the gap, clasping his hand firmly and shaking it for him. A soft touch, but somehow rough, too, like old leather. "I-Ikko Akada," he stammered, "Thank you for your hospitality, President Sasahara."

"Please, call me Su. Most people give up halfway through my full name, unless I'm in trouble.

"Su. Alright. I'm Ikko, then."

"That you are." Susumu grinned, releasing his hand.

"How come you're not freaking out this time?"

"I was ready for it. Like how you get used to hot water. Now – we should probably get back to the clubroom, greet the rest of our new members. If we're excused, Miss Shirayuki?"

The last question came with a teasing lilt. Mizore rolled her eyes. "Fine by me. I'll leave the rest in your hands."

"You're not coming back?" Ikko asked.

"Ruby's orders." Mizore yawned. She released from the tension of the encounter, and for the first time Ikko realised just how tired she looked, eyes emptied of their curious shimmer, lips quiet, set in an exhausted frown, bags under her eyes darkened a shade by the dim light of the classroom. "I'm to take the day off and rest."

"It's like finals week all over again." Su quipped, patting Ikko's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go."

"A-alright."

They left Ruby and Mizore to whatever business occupied them. Once outside, Susumu checked the corridor for onlookers before rounding on Ikko, head bowed. "I owe you an apology, Akada. I didn't realise…"

"No, it's okay. Really. How could you have known?"

"Even so; I acted rashly, and that put you at risk. You're not like Tsukune, so I thought…"

Ikko arched his brow. "That's the second time you've said that. What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Susumu lifted her head. Her eyes – chocolate brown, he noted, seeing her up close – shifted. "You don't know?"

"Mizore doesn't talk about him," he offered with a half-hearted shrug. Seeing the photo in the newspaper club, he understood why – and resolved not to push the issue, however much his curiosity burned.

"Makes sense…" Susumu hummed. She flapped her hand. "It's no big deal. What matters is that we're on the same page. So – friends?"

"Friends." Ikko nodded, trying a smile.

"Great! Let's go!"

* * *

Ikko fell face first onto his bed, duvet stifling his groan. He noised frustration, relief, exhaustion – all of his day – into the unfeeling chill of washed linens, until his lungs burned and begged for air. "Good god…"

He stared at the ceiling. White trilled on his wrist – he tapped her eye, releasing the shikigami so that she could claim her favourite perch in his room, atop his console. She flopped with uncharacteristic drama. "Tough day for you too, huh? All that running around."

White closed her eye. "Thank you." Ikko whispered. He rolled onto his side, aching all over.

Someone knocked on his door. Ikko seriously contemplated feigning sleep – but then remembering the flights of stairs that separated him from anyone who possibly thought it worth visiting, grumbled out. "Who is it?"

"It's me." Kia.

"Door's open." He hoped.

Rattle-rattle. "No it's not."

"One sec…"

He turned the lock and went back to the bed before Kia so much as opened the door. He heard her lock it behind her as he crashed back on the mattress. "What a day."

"What a day." He agreed.

"I thought you'd be gaming," she slouched on his desk chair.

"Are you joking?" Ikko grumbled, rolling once more onto his back. "I can barely move. All that walking – all that running. Chasing Su, listening to Naoko…"

"I can see why Nori's so quiet. She's noise enough for the pair of 'em." They shared a laugh, enough to restore some spark to his weary soul. Once they'd made their introductions, the bell rang for the clubs to dissolve and close for the day – with only a classroom to strip, that gave the newly-populated Writing Club time to sit and chat; or, more accurately, sit and listen to Naoko harping on about her excitement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you that quiet." He mused.

"I wasn't quiet!" Kia protested through her laughter.

"Could've fooled me."

She puffed her cheeks out, throwing her arms across her chest. "I had a lot on my mind."

"You did? Like what?" Ikko forced himself to at least face Kia, rolling onto his side. Her eyes darted from his.

"Stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Girl stuff!"

"Girl stuff?"

"Would you stop that? Yes, girl stuff!" Kia huffed.

"Right... You hungry?" Ikko offered, sitting up. She raised a hand.

"M'alright. Not when you're so tired."

"I don't mind. I can whip something up-"

"It's okay, Ikko. Thank you." She smiled, clutching to her skirt. "I…"

The way she began hollowed out his chest. "What's wrong?"

"Ikko – are you still afraid?"

"Afraid?" He scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, it's kinda natural, isn't it?"

"I guess…" Her head fell. "Does that mean you're afraid of me?"

"You?"

She nodded, stiff. Her eyes vanished behind her bangs, and he missed them straight away. "Before. When we – when you- when-"

Ikko's cheeks burned. "When… with Ruby?"

"Yeah! With Ruby. You asked if I was losing control again – and I don't know. I guess that…" Kia covered her chest with her hand, bunching a fistful of her shirt. "It hurt. A little. I get why, but…"

"Kia…"

"Can I prove it?"

"Eh?" Ikko's sat up a little straighter. "P-prove it…? Prove what?"

She looked up, baby blues gleaming not with tears, as had been her wont in the shade of her breakup. She set her eyes on her friend, determined. "I want to prove that I'm in control. That I can _keep_ control. That you can trust me, Ikko. We spend so much time together that- that I thought, maybe… but if you're still scared of me, how can I call myself your friend?"

Ikko listened, frowning. He cast his eyes to the floor. "I don't think my fear is your problem."

"It is!" Kia insisted. "If I can just – if you'd just let me show you. Please, Ikko. You don't have to be afraid of me. I don't want you to sit next to me worried that I'm gonna – that it's gonna be like your first day, y'know? You don't need that…"

Ikko rubbed his eye. He understood, in part, the reason for her asking. Knowing that she wanted to push past the walls their instincts put up between them. He wished they could. His arms crossed, one across his stomach, one over his chest, hand covering his mouth. "Kia… it's okay. Really, it is."

"Ikko…"

"I trust you." He nodded, trying to sound sincere. "I know you won't lose control. You don't need to prove it. How would you even do that?"

Kia's cheeks flushed, dark red. Her eyes shot away to the corner of the room, hair lashing violently with the shaking of her head. "N-no, it's okay. It doesn't matter…"

"Kia?"

"It doesn't!" She snapped. "You trust me, right? S-so there's no need to, to…" She trailed off. Ikko curled tighter about himself. As good as the outcome sounded in his head, it didn't dislodge the hollowing of his chest, nor did it soothe his heart's attempt to tie itself into a knot.

"Is this the 'girl stuff'?" He whispered. Kia's gaze inched back towards his, head dipping in a tiny nod. "It's that important?"

She left the chair, standing before him with hands clasped tight, breath aquiver. "M-maybe it's more about… proving to myself that I can do it. Even if you believe that I can – especially because you believe that, actually. I want to know. For sure."

The blood in her cheeks didn't budge. Ikko could almost see the threads of her body, wound so tightly around each other, ready to turn and flee in embarrassment. How could he refuse her, knowing how she felt?

His gut twisted. How could he accept this, knowing that she might fail? "What… what do you want to do?"

Kia's breath quaked. She fought for every word that normally came so confidently, filled with such surety of purpose and welcoming warmth. "I… um… I think- I think I should… if you're okay, that is… I want to get used to your scent. Get close to it. No masking. And. Uh… Y'know…"

"Get used to it?" Ikko fidgeted, clasping and unclasping his hands. He looked up and down the room, around Kia. "Like… be near it?"

She nodded. Ikko's throat dried. "How near?"

"Very near." She mumbled, staring at the carpet. "As close as I can get. As close as- as you'll let me."

Ikko sucked inwards, breathing heavily through his nose. "I…"

"Only if you want to," Kia urged, "Only if – only if you're sure. After Kotsubo, after today, I'll get it if you can't."

"It's not that I can't. It's-" Ikko stared at the same spot of carpet she stared at. Perhaps it would catch fire, and distract from their need to confront their feelings. Finding no such relief, he mumbled. "That's _really_ close."

"It is." Kia reached out, fingers scraping gently against his clasped hands. "So…?"

"So…" He dragged the noise out, giving himself room to think. "I'll- I'll need a shower. To get rid of the, um, the masking spell."

"'Kay. I'll wait here?"

"Sure." Ikko stood, sidling around Kia. Her expression defied explanation. He tried to match it to his own feelings. Nerves? Terror? Bewilderment? Wonder? He couldn't stop thinking about the implication, about what it meant to be that close.

"Ikko?" Kia noticed his gawping. "What's wrong? Is this too weird?"

"Yes." Ikko replied. Then, after a thought. "No. Yes. No – but yes, um. Good weird. Weird… good."

She stared. He tried to swallow the glut blocking his throat. "I'm gonna… shower."

"Okay."

"Could you put something on?" He nodded to the TV. "I'm kinda- this is freaking me out a little."

"Me too." Kia replied, her smile falling short of her eyes. She picked up the controller and started finding something on the internet, giving Ikko leave to flee into the bathroom.

He slumped against the door, catching his breath. What was happening? Was this happening? Really? Truly?

He threw himself out of his clothes and tumbled into the shower. Music fought with the rush of water. Gentle brass, a steady beat – just like the soundtrack at Black Cat. Remembering their favourite couch slowed his erratic washing, gave his mind something to chew on besides the possibilities of the next few minutes. They'd spent so much time together – and most of that cuddled up, or at least within arm's reach. Letting her this close wouldn't change that much, would it? She only wanted to get used to his scent. Right?

Ikko scoured the last inch of himself and switched off the water. He towelled off, dressed, and then stopped at the door.

No music. He exited into a dark hall. She'd switched the light off. His TV displayed a list of recommended videos, its bright, backlit screen the only harsh glare in the room. His feet padded, muffled by the carpet, and his hair clung messily to his face. "Kia…?"

She didn't respond. He looked around the room, drawn in particular to a lump on his bed. A blonde-haired lump, breathing softly, shoulders rising, hands curled in front of her. Kia slept soundly, fully-clothed atop his bed.

Ikko's heart stopped. He kneeled at the bedside, bringing his eyes level with hers. In the glare of his TV, her hair looked more platinum than blonde, spools of finest silver framing full, round cheeks. Her breath wisped warmly, evenly, sweet as her perfume. Her fingers curled up, but didn't close, half-open as if waiting to wrap around another's. Ikko wondered who her dreams filled that hand with.

His knees started to ache, reminding him of the reality the idyll of her slumber coaxed him from. Ikko smiled, whispering her name. "Kia… hey, Kia."

"Mngh?" She grumbled, one eye opening. "Ik…ohnoooo…"

He laughed, barely louder that the rustle of the bed. "You fell asleep."

"I did? Time'sit…?"

"It's not been that long. D'you want to head home?"

"Mm…" Kia's eye closed again. She curled tighter. "Buh… I wann'ed… I wanna… You…"

"Me?"

She nodded, bleary. Through the fog of her exhaustion, Kia's candour cut deeper. "You're scared of me…"

"I'm-" Ikko's throat strangled his reflexive answer. He unwound the knot, loosening its bonds with the right words – the words she wanted, the words he'd hidden with anxiety. He took a breath. Found a smile. A smile for her. "You're too cute to be scared of."

Kia's eyes opened again. "Really?"

"Least scary monster ever." Ikko nodded. "I'm surprised anyone's scared of you."

"Promise you're not?"

"I do." He whispered. Her fingers twitched, sliding slowly across the mattress to fumble at his wrist. Ikko set his hand in hers, letting her wriggle between the gaps in his grasp before closing. "I promise, Kia. I could never be scared of you."

A single bead dripped from her eyes. Kia's smile crept across her face, hampered by her half-sleep. "M'glad…"

He barely felt her squeezing his hand, but Ikko squeezed back all the same. She dozed – and he watched her, resting his head on the mattress. "I'm so tired." Kia murmured.

"Me too." He didn't fight the yawn that accentuated the point.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"There's only one bed…" Ikko mused.

"I'm really small. See?"

She wiggled, shuffled, and wormed her way back against the wall, leaving a space just under an Ikko Akada wide on the single mattress. "Small. We can… you can sleep too."

"Are you sure?" asked he, polite as he asked for permission to climb into his own bed. She nodded, releasing his hand so he could take his socks off and shuffle in next to her. He hid under the covers, duvet pressing his t-shirt against his chest, pushing his jeans up. He kept his arms at his sides, gluing his gaze to the ceiling as Kia pulled the covers up, struggling to get beneath them and lie next to him.

Her hand scraped his arm. "Ikko." She breathed in his ear, causing him to stiffen more. "Ikko."

"Mm?"

"You need to move."

"Mm." He didn't. "H-how?"

She laughed again, breathing washing over him. "Face me."

"Face you?"

"It's okay. Come on. I'm waking up."

He rolled onto his side, seeing the light of his TV reflecting in bright blue eyes. Kia's warmth spread into her smile, patiently guiding him. "Is this your first time sharing a bed?"

"Like… with a girl?"

"Like ever."

Ikko nodded, and would have done so whatever she specified. Kia exhaled. "Okay. Give me – put your hand… there."

She navigated his arm under her shoulder, and from there pushed him to lay on his back. She curled up at his side, nose buried into the crook of his neck. "Okay. Comfy?"

"Not really." Ikko croaked.

"What's wrong?"

"It's-" He struggled to find a phrase that didn't end in her potentially slapping him. "Warm."

"You _are_ warm…" Kia mumbled, nestling closer. That didn't help. "You can take your top off."

"What!?"

"What?"

"I-I think I'll manage."

Kia sighed. "You're so weird."

"I'm not." He protested. "This is weird. Sharing a bed. Being… being…"

He looked down at her as she looked up. Their eyes met. Kia inhaled. "Being what?"

"Kia…" Ikko whispered, transfixed. Kia untangled herself from the embrace, propping herself up on her hands.

"What?"

His head tipped, making sure. "Your eyes…"

"My eyes?" Kia blinked. "Oh, god. They're not – they haven't changed, have they? Have they?"

"No, no!" He hastily added. "They're – they're normal. Completely. I just…"

She shrunk under his stare, flickering away. "You…?"

"They're so pretty." Ikko stated, flat and unromantic. A simple observation, but one that snapped her gaze to his. Even in the half-light, shifting as a notification popped onto his TV screen, Ikko saw her cheeks darken. The warmth of her breath caught on a stutter.

"You think?"

"I've never seen them so close."

"You haven't." Kia agreed. Her body twisted, bringing her leg properly over his lap. Ikko backed himself into a half-seat, propped up against the bed frame. "Want a closer look?"

She looked straight at him, now, eyes level. Ikko nodded, dislodging his hair, bringing bangs over his eyes. Before he could clear them away, Kia's palm swept them back. "You can," she breathed, touching her forehead to his, "Look at much as you like."

The TV cut out, plunging them into the dark. Ikko stared into her eyes, drinking deeply of those brilliant baby-blues until their eyes closed, and they pressed closer.


	12. Chapter 12

A cold shock tore through him. Ikko's eyes jolted open, wide. He tried to move, but grasping warmth seized his chest, crushing the wind from his waking gasps. He wrenched and writhed. A noise almost like a voice shrieked in his ear. He weight gripped him tighter. "Off- off! Get off! Get off get off!"

He lurched from the bed, dislodging himself with such violence and desperation that he slammed into the leg of his desk. Ikko scrambled on all fours into the corner of the room, chest heaving, hands clammy, eyes wide.

The bedside lamp flickered on. Kia, t-shirt hitched up, wide eyes an empty blue, skin paled and splotched, stared at him from the bed. "Ikko. Ikko, it's me. It's Kia…"

His head span. He felt his bones breaking. Ikko curled up, yanking his knees into his chest, breath laboured. Kia rushed forward, scrambling to grasp his arm before that, too, closed off. "Ikko – hey, Ikko, it's okay! It's just a dream. Just a dream, yeah?"

Her arms wrapped over his head. His mind sank back into the dark, into the grasping, crushing warmth. He curled tighter. "Lemme go – lemme go, Kia please- I need-"

"Ikko!" He ripped from her embrace, unbalancing her in his efforts to get away. He staggered, rising, clutching his chest. Kia struggled to her feet. "Ikko, it's just a nightmare! You're safe!"

"Memory," he retched. "S'a _memory_ , Kia. It happened, I can – I can feel it! I can feel him…"

"What happened? What?" He steadied himself against the wall, slumping against it. Ikko pulled his hair out of his eyes. "Ikko, you don't mean Kotsubo? He's done! You're safe!"

"I'm not!" He moaned. "I'm not. I can't be, not here. That's- that's the truth."

Kia whispered his name, clutching her chest. Her next question came quiet, so quiet that she had to repeat it over his panting. "What do you need? What can I do?"

"I need-" Ikko tried to master the explosions in his ribcage, the hollow thundering of his heart pounding a frightful din in his ears. "I can't- I can't breathe. I can't…"

Fingers scrabbled and clung to a shirt drenched in sweat. He clawed at the collar, yanking it down, hearing threads strain and snap as elastic fought to hold its shape. Tears burned his eyes, his throat cracked and scratching for every broken rasp.

Hands – soft, smooth – slipped under his shirt. Ikko's knees gave out, but the carpet didn't greet his fall. Kia guided him down, sat behind him. She pressed herself against his back, squeezing gently, breathing. Slowly, surely, with every inhale measured to be shorter than the exhale. "It's alright." She whispered, sniffling. Every assurance followed a warm sigh washing over the nape of his neck. "It's okay. It's over."

He stopped trying to tear his chest open to let the air in. Ikko's breathing steadied, little by little, as he remembered the welcome warmth of his friend. His heart, too, calmed; and as it did, Kia began to move, nuzzling the back of his neck. Ikko hiccuped on a choking sob and a broken apology. Kia squeezed him, forgoing words until their breathing barely filled the silence.

"What time is it?" Ikko croaked.

Kia released him to check her phone, wincing at the sudden flash of its brightness. "Three. Let's go back to bed."

"No – no, I'm awake. I'm not sleeping." Ikko curled forward again, raking through his hair. It refused to stay back, thick clumps tangling in front of his eyes. "I can't sleep after that."

"Ikko, it's three in the morning. We've got class!"

"I'll be fine. I've done worse." He struggled to his feet, wiping his eyes. "Gonna clear my head."

He picked up the controller on his desk and claimed the chair. White, somehow sleeping through the entire ordeal, woke to the spin of the console's fan as he booted it up. Kia opened her mouth only to cut herself off, instead asking, "D'you want me to stay?"

"It's okay." He looked back to her, his smile barely a smile. "You need rest, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me."

Kia hesitated. She placed a hand on his shoulder, grip gentle. "Right… good night, Ikko."

"Sleep well." He whispered, absorbed in the screen. Kia lingered for a moment longer, thumb stroking, before she departed, leaving him with the brief flash of the hall light before plunging the room back into the night.

* * *

Etsuko lingered at the bottom step of the dorms, bag slung over shoulder, attention split between the clock silently marching towards the start of school, and the news feed of her blog subscriptions. The morning rush passed her by, paying little attention to her or her blazing copper hair.

"Yanase." Etsuko looked up. Masumi smiled, hand raised in greeting. "Aren't you coming?"

"Morning, Yakumaru." She locked her phone, jamming it in her bag. "I'm waiting for my friends."

"Did they oversleep?"

"I don't know." Her phone buzzed. She resisted the urge to check it, as Masumi shifted from obstructing the flow to hovering closer to her. "What about you?"

"Judo and I meet at school. He's up a lot earlier than I am for his exercises. I saw you and, well – why not greet a clubmate? That is the point of such things."

"It is." Etsuko tried to watch the stairs. "You should hurry, Yaku-"

"Call me Masumi."

" _Yakumaru_." Etsuko finished, shoulders straightening. "I don't want to make you late as well."

"So considerate." Masumi's genteel smile slipped from the pedestal of his sincerity. "I'll look forward to seeing you at club, Yanase."

He walked backwards for a hand of paces before spinning on his heel and joining the last trickle of students. Checking the exit, seeing him gone, Etsuko retrieved her phone.

'im taking today off'

Chewing her lip, she paused her response when another voice called out from the bottom step. Ikko, his shirt untucked, eyes heavy, hair an untended mop – more untended than usual. "Etsuko."

"Rough night?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Kia's playing hooky. I'm gonna check on her."

"She'll be fine," Ikko mumbled, staring at his shoes.

"And you know that how? You're barely conscious yourself."

Ikko shrugged, limp, and dragged himself out of the dorm room. Etsuko looked from her phone, to his back. A smile crept onto her lips, quickening her steps as she caught up to his pace, matching it. "A _ha_."

"Aha?"

"Moving a little quickly, aren't we?"

"What? Oh, sorry – I'll slow down." Ikko yawned.

"God, that late? I didn't know you had it in you!" Etsuko nudged his shoulder, causing him to wobble as she urged him back up to normal speed. "You're exhausted, Kia's not coming in for, I presume, the same reason. So…?"

"So?" Ikko closed his eyes, rubbing them. He stumbled over a deceptively flat stretch of the road.

Etsuko rolled her eyes. "Don't play coy! How was it?"

"How was what?"

"Last night!"

Ikko ground to a halt. He looked at Etsuko, snapping awake, breath shuddering. "H-how did…?"

"Ikko, come on. I'm not blind. There's a reason she drags you everywhere."

He tripped over his words, gaze flicking in every direction as Etsuko tried to pin them. "So how was it? How is she?"

"I-I don't…" He stuttered, shoulders slumping. "Can we not talk about it? Please?"

His words ripped the wings out of her elation. She crashed into a sympathetic shade of her gossipy grin. "That bad…?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" The quiet, twitchy, anxious Ikko shouted. Etsuko stared, dumbfounded, as he remembered himself. "Sorry. Sorry, I didn't… Please excuse me, Etsuko."

He hurried off to the Academy. She watched him go, chased away by his own words. Mouthing bafflement to herself, she finally grabbed her phone and hammered out a response to Kia.

'What happened? O:'

'nothing'

'Nothing?'

'im trying to sleep'

"Mmmngh." Etsuko turned her back on the dorms, curiosity blazing fiercer, blinding her to sensitivity. She homed in on Ikko's back as she marched to homeroom, trying to catch him, but he kept to crowds and the middle of the halls, turning only when the others did, navigating his way homeroom. "Ikko!" She called, but the first bell cut her off. She lost him to the corner of the classroom, his slouch and sullen aversion to her staring sticking out like a sore thumb without Kia's bouncing presence to drag him up to his usual self. From her seat near the front, she couldn't monitor him as the class president called for the morning routine, and so focussed on the homeroom meeting.

Miss Shirayuki, too, stifled a yawn as she took her seat on the table. "Okay, guys. Golden Week's starting soon – I'm sure you've all got your plans."

An excited murmur rippled through the room. Etsuko used it to glance back, seeing Ikko staring out of the window. "Yeah, yeah, it's very exciting; but it's not the time for slacking off. You've got your assignments, midterms'll be here faster than you think. I won't have any of you flunking on your first month back, clear?"

A far less enthused murmur of assent followed. Miss Shirayuki smiled wearily, taking to a lollipop. "Get your work done, behave yourselves, and we won't be having any awkward conversations on the other side. I'm sure most of you have nothing to worry about, so long as you apply yourselves. Oh – and don't forget, if you're planning a family visit, come see me before the end of the week so we can get it authorized. Does anyone need that?"

Not a single hand. Miss Shirayuki nodded. "Alright, then. Have a good day, guys."

How she managed to get away with ending her homerooms so early, Etsuko didn't know; not that she complained, as it gave her valuable time to wrap up homework or, as the case would be today, cornering Ikko. She gathered her things and rushed to grab him before he could leave. "What's wrong?" she started, placing her hands on her hips, widening her stance so that he couldn't slip out of his corner.

Ikko didn't move from his seat. He turned from his window-gazing to face her, but lacked the courage to hold her stare. "You're acting weird." Etsuko pressed. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this. Won't you talk to me?"

"Is that really what you think?" he asked, watching his hands as he fidgeted.

"Is what what I really think?" At his sigh, her frustration began to bubble through. "Ikko?"

"That she drags me along. That I don't want to hang out with you guys unless she forces me to."

"That's- no, I don't. Of course I don't!"

"Then why did you say that?"

"That's not what I meant. What happened last night?"

His fist balled. "Maybe you're right. Without her…"

"Guys?" Miss Shirayuki looked up from her folder, rolling her lollipop between her teeth. "Everything okay over there?"

Etsuko wheeled to reassure her, but Ikko got the first word in. "We're fine. Actually, Miss, there's something I wanted to ask you."

She levelled an accusing glare at Ikko, but he looked straight ahead, forcing stoicism. A feeble guise, given the tremble of his fist. Miss Shirayuki examined the pair of them with a quick flick of her eyes. "Sure. In here, or my office?"

"Your office," he replied, "I-if that's okay."

Miss Shirayuki's curiosity fixed more heavily on Etsuko.

Sensing the implication, she pursed her lips and secured her bag. "I'll see you later."

She lurched from homeroom and turned the nearest corner, finding a quiet space to call Kia's number. It rang out. "Come on – come on – Kia, I swear to God if you don't-"

"'Lo." Kia sniffled, picking up. "Don't what?"

"Kia! Nothing, nothing. Actually no, not nothing! What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"What?"

"First you dodge class, then Ikko's all cagey and depressed. I know something happened last night – you better start talking!"

"Why is that your business?" Venom sizzled from the speaker, so cold and abrupt that Etsuko held her phone away from her ear, fearing momentarily that it might rot her skin to be so close to it.

"Excuse me?"

"Ikko, he's – it's best if we leave him be."

"Kia," Etsuko breathed, "Kia. You're not making any sense. Yesterday you were hanging off his arm!"

"Yesterday he didn't – he hadn't-!" Kia choked on a sob. "I'm sorry, I can't- I have to go. Leave him alone, Etsuko. It's for the best…"

The call end chime bleeped, covering Etsuko's baffled cursing. Knowing that he hid with Miss Shirayuki, and that they shared no classes, she resolved to wring the truth from his lips before the day ended.

* * *

Mizore let Ikko into her office, locking the door behind him. "Is this a teacher-student thing, or a friend thing?"

"Friend." Ikko yawned, head drooping. She offered a lollipop, then moved to clear the duvet and pillow furnishing the small couch in her office. "Have you been sleeping here?"

"We're not here to talk about me." Mizore sat down, patting the seat next to her. "Is this anything to do with Etsuko pinning you?"

"No." Ikko sighed. He dropped onto the couch, rolling forward to cradle his head in his hands. "Maybe. Probably. I think so."

"What's going on?"

"I had a nightmare." Ikko began, "I've been having them for a while, but this was- different. I had Kia there."

"In the nightmare?"

"No, no. There. In my room."

"Oh." Mizore blinked. "Wh- _oh._ Seriously?" He nodded, causing her lip to tick upwards. "I guess you're more like him than I thought."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, Kia was there. How did that go down?"

"Terribly. I woke up and- and…" Ikko slumped, exhaling the rest of the thought. "It sucked. Now Etsuko wants to know what happened, and I can't tell her. No-one 'cept those involved and Su knows it was me with Kotsubo, so I can't talk about it, and even then! Even then, she only cares about what happened between us."

"What _did_ happen between you?"

Ikko turned his head from his slouch to meet her eye. The bags weighing them down gave him a bitter edge. "Really?"

"Hey, I'm curious. It's been less than a month."

"I know, but… _really_?"

"Fine, fine." Mizore rolled her lollipop about in her mouth, thoughtful. "What's this for, then?"

"For?" Ikko scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. Help, I guess?"

"I can't help with nightmares. That's… trauma's hard, Ikko. It's not easy, what you've been through. Balm'll only get you so far with your physical wounds."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Have patience. Look after yourself." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've been where you are. It's the only thing you can do."

"You have?"

"My time at Yokai wasn't all sunshine and rainbows." Ikko thought back to the photo he'd seen at the newspaper club. "We had our share of hardships. Got into a few fights. Healing wounds is only the beginning."

"You got into fights?"

"Oh, yeah." Mizore laughed. "More than a few. Some we brought on ourselves."

"I saw the newspaper club. They had some clippings and photos – you're telling me they led to fights?"

"Only sometimes." She sighed, risking wistfulness as her gaze slipped away. "We did a lot…"

"It looked like you had fun."

"I did." She nodded. "I do…"

"Mizore?"

"Hm? Sorry, we were talking about your nightmares. Have you spoken to Kia since?" He marvelled at her ability to close off so suddenly, as deep as his longing to know more ran. Every time it looked like he might scratch some new facet of the tale, she shifted, distracting them both or getting them back on point.

"No, I haven't." He admitted. "I was gonna message her, but…"

"No phone. Right. Still working on that." Mizore pushed back one side of her hair. "I can't excuse you from classes. You'll have to wait until after school – or you can talk to Etsuko."

"She'll find out I'm human!" Ikko shook his head in desperate refusal. "That's way too risky."

"Don't you trust her?"

"Yeah, I do." Mizore watched him retreat from his conviction, cradling the back of his neck. "'Least I thought I did. After last night, I'm not so sure. She thinks I'm here 'cause Kia drags me around."

"I can see why she thinks that."

"You, too?" He flinched from her.

"Am I wrong?"

"I-!" Ikko's indignance gave way to confusion, contorting his brow into a deep furrow. "Yeah? I think?"

"If I'm wrong, then it's not me that needs convincing. If you're that worried about her finding out, then don't tell her the _whole_ truth."

"Lie?"

"No, don't lie! Just… take your time with it."

"That sounds a lot like lying."

"You only need to tell her about last night to clear things up, don't you? Focus on that – on the problem right now. The rest comes later."

Ikko exhaled heavily through his nose, slouching back against the cushion. He covered his face with his hands. "Kia's right."

"What about?"

"I am a 'girls-are-hard' nerd."

"She's sort of right." Mizore smiled, peeling back one of his hands to make sure he saw it. "People are hard. Not just for nerds – for everyone. She's probably about as confused as you are about what to do."

"You think?"

"You won't know until you speak with her."

"I guess…" The bell chimed, muffled by the walls between them and the Academy proper. Ikko groaned. "Time's up."

"Time's up." Mizore nodded, standing and brushing herself off. "No more hiding, Ikko."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ikko struggled from the couch, stretching out. "I'll see you later."

"That you will." She held out one more lollipop, which he happily accepted. "Oh, Ikko?"

"Hm?"

"Maybe next time, don't tell your teacher about you and your girlfriend breaking curfew."

All the blood in his brain spilled into his face. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"That's what you focus on?"

"I-I mean…" Ikko locked onto the floor. "I didn't – we didn't- I've never-"

"Relax, Ikko." Mizore laughed, quiet. "I'm kidding."

"Oh."

"About the girlfriend thing. Not the curfew thing. At least try to stay out of trouble, will you?"

"I am!" He flushed hotter, eyes scrunching. "S'not my fault Kia knocks on at weird hours."

"Your fault for opening the door."

"If I had a _phone_ , this wouldn't be a problem."

Mizore sighed, hands on her hips. "Touché. Go on, now. We can't both be late."

* * *

Every class dragged on. No matter how much he tried to focus, his rehearsals for tackling Etsuko could not distract from the agonised crawl of time. Pushing it to one side did nothing to avail him, either; he would focus on the lesson for a few moments before the notion struck him again, some new phrase or idea that changed how it could play out. On top of that all, the exhaustion. Crippling, heavy waves of fatigue punished his choice to stay awake, away from the nightmares.

Break found him slouched in front of the vending machines, nursing one of a handful of sodas. He contemplated giving up. Surely the nurse would give him leave in such a state. Go home, collapse, tackle this after a nap.

"I've been looking for you." Ikko dragged his eyes up from the slouch. Etsuko smiled down at him, markedly more subdued than her bubbling excitement from the morning. Where class only served to wind him up further, Etsuko's day apparently tempered her curiosity, gave her an even tone. She sat next to him on the kerb, pulling her hair over her shoulder and using it to occupy her hands. "Have you heard from Kia?"

"No phone." He mumbled into his can, using it to mask his desire to frown.

"She must be exhausted. I've not heard anything."

"Must be." He refused her eye. All the scenarios he'd planned saw her agitated, frustrated, horrified. What did calm mean?

"I spoke to her this morning." He abandoned his aversion as quickly as he'd decided to stick to it. The slightest hint of a conversation worried him; what had she said? What did Etsuko know?

"Y-you did?"

"She said it'd be best to leave you alone."

"Oh…"

"But I'm a journalist." Etsuko grinned. "Maybe that's insensitive of me, but you two dangled a thread right in front of my eyes. I can't help but pull on 'em – it's how we got our first big scandal of the year."

"Scandal?"

"Kotsubo." She announced, nodding proudly. "I pushed and pushed until someone gave in. Specifics are for the staff, so I don't know the whole story, but we had enough to go on to push for his banishment. Lots crawled out of the woodwork when he got exposed for assaulting a student."

Ikko frowned, withdrawing to his soda. "I didn't realise it was your story."

"Yeah – why?"

He shook his head. "Didn't know, is all."

The conversation lapsed for a time, spare her thanks when he offered a soda. Like the café visit marking their first proper meeting, they broke the silence together. "Etsuko-"

"Why does- oh, sorry!" She giggled. "You first."

"No, you."

"It's okay! I want to hear what you have to say."

Ikko's frown deepened. "Why?"

"Kia likes you," she offered, matter-of-fact. "I like you – and, uh… I'm sorry that I said that about you being dragged around. I only meant it, like, you're always with her. Y'know? It's you and Kia – that's how it's been."

Ikko tried to think of a time when he and Etsuko talked on their own, coming up empty. He ceded to the truth of it – to Kia's immeasurable impact on his social life. Etsuko's eyes trembled with quiet determination. "I don't want to believe that she'd drop you for no good reason. There has to be something, right? Something that happened, something that upset her…"

He shrank, shamed. "I-I don't mean you meant it!"

"No, no. I know." He breathed in, bracing himself. "Last night – last night, well… Kia slept over."

She nodded, giving him the silence he needed to compose his answer. "Things were fine. She was… fine. Nice. Close – closer than I'd ever expected her to be. She wanted to- to uh… but…"

The dread grasping at his chest swelled as he recollected their morning, coiling around his tongue, wringing it of the coherence he so desperately needed. "I have these nightmares. I didn't even think- but Kia, she got the worst of it. I woke up and- and she was on top of me, and I… kinda freaked out a little."

"Because she was on top of you?"

"'Cause of the dream." Ikko sighed. "I tried to explain. I did explain, but I couldn't go back to sleep after that. I needed space, so I played some games after she went back to her room."

He didn't mention her Guise slipping. Never had so terrible a visage stared at him with so much fear. Ikko recalled his promise to her, eyes lidding. "I thought things were gonna be okay. Some friend I am."

"You should go to her."

"I can't – not until school finishes."

"You've got time now!" Her urging came with an offered hand. "You want to, don't you?"

"I-I do, but…"

"But nothing!" Etsuko wrung her hand in front of him. "What's more important; one late class, or Kia?"

"Kia, but- ow! Hey!" She smacked him on the arm, before seizing his wrist and dragging him to his feet. "What was that for?"

"But! Nothing!" Her blazing eyes rolled. "The more time you waste here, the more trouble you're in."

Flustered, Ikko collected his bag and stared at her. She stared right back, strands of fire shimmering in the dull light of Yokai's miserable weather. He saw now why Kia liked her so, for the spark she brought to all she took to. He nodded, resolved, and repeated her words. "But nothing."

"That's more like it."

"That's more like what?"

Masumi rounded the corner Ikko made to dash for, causing him to stumble back and nearly trip. Etsuko caught his shoulders. "Yakumaru – what do you want?"

"Yanase…" he smiled, eyes thin slits that masked his gaze, head tilting at an angle. He came to lean on the wall. "Where's Kia?"

"She's-"

"-Your ex." Etsuko finished Ikko's sentence, releasing him to cover her chest with folded arms. "Why do you care?"

"Oh, my. Is she unwell? Is that who you thought overslept today?"

Ikko clenched his fist. His desire to reach for his friend – his best friend – and honour Mizore's plea to stay out of trouble dimmed, Masumi closing the window on the moment, and he smiled all the while. "I wouldn't worry about her," he said, "It's not the first time she's dropped out. She'll be back in tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Thank you for your input." Etsuko bit back a dry hiss. "Go on, Ikko."

She nodded, and he saw that her fists also balled, curling around the same restrained frustration that whitened his knuckles. "R-right. Excuse me, Yakumaru." He made to pass.

"It's her eyes, isn't it?"

His words tangled like snaring roots about his heel, catching Ikko in place. "What?"

"Her eyes. I'm sure you've seen them at this point. She always did have trouble with her Guise around her _boys_."

"Ikko- go. Just ignore him."

"Ignore me?" Masumi opened one eye, smile wilting. "I'm only trying to help. If she's taken the day off, she's dangerous to be around. You don't want Akada to get hurt, do you?"

His chuckle gnawed at the back of his mind, tendrils of poison ivy itching under the skull. Ikko clenched his jaw. It grated. He grated. He kept talking. He wouldn't _shut up-_

Silence crashed over them. Masumi turned to face Ikko. "What did you say?"

"I said," Ikko quaked, turning around. "Shut _up_."

"Ikko…!"

Masumi laughed, unfazed. "Why? I said, I'm only trying to-"

"All you've done is hurt her!" Ikko cut across. He glued his hands to his sides. Squared his shoulders, repulsed by his instinct to cower. "All you've ever done – all she's ever done, whenever you come up, is cry. That's all you do. All you're good for! You don't want to help me. You want to hurt her – hurt my _friend!_ "

The word lit a fire in him, steadying his breath. Masumi opened both eyes, now, boring into Ikko – but he stood tall, and stared straight back. Their eyes locked. "Leave us alone." Ikko hissed. "Don't you dare come near her again."

"Or what?" Masumi spoke clearly. "What will you do?"

The flames he so desperately stoked sputtered out. In two questions, Masumi reminded Ikko of everything he couldn't do. Everything his nature prevented. The bluster he'd scraped together faltered. "I'll… I'll – I'll-"

Etsuko bumped into his side. She stood strong next to him. "We'll protect her."

Ikko's jaw slackened. He dared to look across. Masumi's laughter ripped him back to the moment, crisp, cruel snickering just under his sickeningly sweet tone. "You will? You'll protect _her_ , truly? Oh, Yanase. The only thing Kia needs protecting from is herself."

"You don't know that." Ikko tried.

"I'm the only one who does, Akada." All sincerity rotted away, leaving only a withering, wretched glare. The glare he'd seen from a distance so many times. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He pushed past the pair of them, breaking through their front with a sharp thrust forward. Ikko stumbled into the wall; Etsuko hurried to his side. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Y-yeah, I'm good." He blew his cheeks out, taking a ragged breath. "That was scary…"

"No kidding – look at you, stepping up!" She wrapped an arm over his shoulder, squeezing his assuredly. "Some friend you are, indeed."

Ikko smiled, raking his hair out of his face. He trembled still, but didn't regret the fear freezing his sweat. "Don't worry about that prick," Etsuko huffed, "He's all talk. You need to get to Kia."

"Kia…"

"Yes, Kia! Dorm!"

Ikko snapped awake, breaking from the confrontation. "Dorm! How long have I got?"

"Doesn't matter – go already! Jeez!"

He broke into a run, leaving her with a hasty farewell. Etsuko laughed, watching his clumsy bolt from the campus. "Some friend, indeed…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Holy heck, this was a hard one. I got halfway through the chapter before scrapping the whole thing.**

 **Apologies for the delay! Here's chapter thirteen. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Mizore saw two empty seats and knew what Ikko had done. She checked Black as the students filed in, finding him quiet, pointing in the direction of the dorms. Eyes rolled. She launched from her seat and perched on the desk, smiling at her class. Some words about their assignments and a half-hearted excuse about catching up later, and she was clear to dip into her office and yank her phone out of her pocket.

Ruby answered almost immediately. "Aren't you in class?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You seen Ikko?"

"Not since this morning. Why?"

Mizore huffed. "He's gone off to see Tayama."

"She's not in?"

"No, she's – I think they had a falling out. She's playing hooky, and now he's off to fix things. I guess."

"You guess?"

"He talked to me about it this morning. Can you go… y'know, check on him?"

"Is Black making noise?"

"No, he's-"

"Then why are you worried?"

"He's breaking the rules?"

"Sure, but…" Ruby trailed into a thrum. "That's no reason to call. We broke the rules all the time."

"We can't excuse him for that!" She laughed, deepening Mizore's frown.

"Relax. You can chastise him later. This is good."

"How? How is truancy good?"

"He's reaching out to his friends." Ruby offered. "He's decided that they're worth fighting for, and he needs that."

Her eyes rolled. "Don't be that way," said her friend, reading the silence, "Let him learn."

"Can't you go make sure?"

"No, I can't. Yukari's gearing up for a trip with one of our Notables. It's her turn to cover the rota, so I'm picking up the slack."

Mizore frowned. She looked back into her class, seeing the beginnings of distraction take root. "Please?"

"Mizore-"

"Come ooon. For my sake."

She huffed. "If he's not back by the end of class, drop me a text – not a moment sooner. You're supposed to be teaching!"

"Thank you, Ruby."

"Go on – get back to it."

She did, and as the lesson proceeded apace and the students broke from distraction to handle their work, tedium began to convince her of Ruby's words. Perhaps it would be for the best that Ikko shirked class to tend his relationships. Surviving Yokai alone would be tough even for the regular students. Getting Kia back to class, too, showed at least _some_ responsibility.

Mizore smiled, sucking thoughtfully on her lollipop. Tsukune had done much the same, once upon a time. She was young again, a first-year locked in her apartment, with the hapless human banging on her door, begging to clear the air.

"Miss?"

"Hm? Sorry, what's up?" Mizore bounced from the desk, moving over to the student that shattered her reverie. She finally conceded Ruby's argument. She could chastise him later.

Class ended, and break began. Mizore waved her students off, turning to the textbook on her desk. Her own studies loomed, dark smog between the bright spots of boring lessons. She could teach just fine – earning the peace of paper that allowed her to do such, however, proved an altogether more daunting beast.

She slumped into her chair, half-heartedly turning the page, and began to submerse herself in policies and regulations when a flash of red caught her eye. She looked to the door, recognising the waves of flame flowing over the student's shoulders. "It's Yanase, isn't it?"

"Oh!" Etsuko exclaimed, stepping properly into the class. "Sorry, Miss. Didn't see you there."

"What's up?" She pushed her textbook away, deciding that yes, indeed, it was a terrible shame to surrender her revision. Absolutely.

Etsuko looked around, frowning minutely. "You haven't seen Ikko, have you? Akada? He's in this class, right?"

Mizore arched a brow, head tilting. "He's not here."

"Oh." Etsuko leaned back on her heel, towards the door. "That's okay, I'll go find him."

"Yanase." She spoke up. Etsuko rolled back, wobbling on her feet. "Ikko never showed for class. How do you know where he is?"

"Er-" Caught. Her smile turned sheepish. "W-well if he's not here, he must be in his dorm, right? So…"

" _So_ you can't go find him." Mizore abandoned her desk, approaching the fire-headed second-year. "You know the rules. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"I-" Etsuko looked around, scouting the corridor. "I don't think that's-"

"Yanase," Mizore steadied her tone, straightened her shoulders. She removed the lollipop. "Tell me what's going on."

Etsuko slumped, shuffling towards the nearest desk. Mizore closed the door behind her. She relayed the same story she'd heard from Ikko that morning; nothing new. "I pushed him to go see her. It's important, y'know? Kia's not answering her phone, and she sounded pretty torn up when I called her this morning."

"You pushed him?"

"Yeah – it's my fault. Please don't be mad at Ikko." Etsuko wrung her hands, insistent.

"That depends entirely on how long he takes to get back." Mizore explained, pushing her hair back. She replaced the lollipop. "That's all he said to you?"

"All of it. I've never seen him shut down like that. Or pissed."

"Language."

"Sorry. Angry."

"Why angry?"

"Yakumaru showed up – Kia's ex. He said some stuff, and I guess Ikko couldn't deal with it."

She sighed through her nose. "Right. Okay. Thank you, Yanase. I'll take it from here."

"What're you going to do?"

"Nothing. Yet. I still have classes – as do you." Mizore replaced her lollipop, furrowing her brow. The cold seeped into her, sharpening disparate thoughts into clear lines. "Odds are I'll not see him until the end of the day. I'll see what he has to say first."

"Okay. Okay…" Etsuko placed a hand on her chest, exhaling gently. "It's no big deal, right? It's just one missed class."

"That depends entirely on him – and Kia."

"How so?" Mizore shot Etsuko a simple look. "Oh. Yeah. Okay."

"You go on – I'll deal with this."

"Yes, miss." Etsuko turned for the door, and Mizore turned away from her, only to spin back when she started speaking to another. "You! What're you doing here?"

A tall, fair, blond youth leaned on the doorframe. "Forgive me – I was on my way to my next class. I couldn't help but overhear."

Etsuko leapt onto the ball of her back foot, away from the frowning Masumi. He pushed into the classroom. "What did you hear?" asked Mizore, arms folding.

"Akada didn't show for class," said he, brushing his fringe to one side, "And… Kia hasn't shown up today, either."

"You know something?"

"I hope not," Masumi folded his arms, avoiding Etsuko's accusing glare, "I fear something – and I wish, for his sake as much as ours, that it isn't true."

"What are you going on about?" Etsuko spat, "You threatened him not even twenty minutes ago!"

"I warned him!" Masumi snapped, arms folding tighter. He closed his eyes, scrunched them, forced his tone into something more level. "I _warned_ him. It's not my fault he's wrapped around her finger."

"He's-!" Etsuko began, only to stumble over her careless protest.

Mizore raised a hand. "Enough- Masumi, was it?"

"Masumi Yakumaru, Miss. I'm in 2-A."

"Yakumaru. What are you worried about?"

Masumi shot her a quizzical look. His frown slipped down his face. "Kia – Tayama – she's in your class. I thought… don't they tell all the teachers?"

"Tell them what?"

His eyes flicked between her and Etsuko. "What, Yakumaru?" she pressed, words quickening.

"Sorry, it's – I'm not really _supposed_ to know, and Yanase…"

"Cut to the chase – _tell me_ , Yakumaru. What?"

Masumi's eyes dipped. For once, his confidence shrank, and his arms folded. He sighed heavily through his next words. "Kia's on the Notables list."

Mizore's breath stopped short. Etsuko's head tipped to one side. "What's that?"

She already reached for her phone, dialling for Ruby. "Miss?" Etsuko breathed. "Yakumaru, what's that? What are you talking about?"

"It's…" Masumi lowered his voice. Mizore started pacing. "It's what Yokai calls students with… requirements."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ruby- hi, yeah, me. Actual emergency…" Mizore disappeared into her office.

Masumi folded his arms, eyes closing, head hanging. Etsuko balled her fists. "Yakumaru…"

"It _means_ ," he interrupted, "More often than not, it means conditions or habits that make them a threat to other monsters. Like… dietary requirements."

"Dietary… you don't think-"

"I don't think," Masumi shook his head, "I fear."

* * *

A great weight crushed Ikko's chest. It took all his strength to draw even a single breath, to rip cold, sharp blades of air into leaden lungs and rasp his way into consciousness. Doing so spread the weight, but did not lessen it. It laid over his eyes, pinned his arms. He dared not exhale, fearing that releasing the breath might crush him for good.

Noise buzzed in his ear, his world shook, but far away – like a fly in the corner of a room, like the vibration of his phone on the corner of his desk. As the only sensations he could feel, besides the weight, he tried his best to focus on them. Had he overslept? Was it his alarm?

His mind swam. No – it drowned. Where was he? What happened?

The noise droned again, louder now. It sounded like a word. A name. He reached out for it, dragged his arm into aching, straining movement. His palm warmed. Something soft and burning to the touch, like a coal made of plush toys.

Again, his world shook. This time it brought pressure to his hand. "Ikko, wake up – wake up wake up, please… please, Ikko…"

Why did he have to wake up? It seemed so insurmountable a task; to even open his eyes asked for more strength than he could muster in five lives. The voice seemed to insist, and he only writhed in response, trying feebly to squirm under the weight. Doing so brought more aches, his body remembering every time it had ever been tired and compounding those memories in every fibre, every sinew. He groaned. "Ikko! Ikko, come on – wake up, you gotta… you gotta wake up. Now. Listen to me…!"

The words took shape, gained definition, sounded less and less like static with every laboured breath. His muddled mind recognised her, eventually. Recognised Kia. Recognised the desperation lacing her voice. He'd heard it before. Where had he…?

Ikko's eyes opened to dark. She loomed over him, eyes as deep and empty as every bottomless well he'd resisted the morbid urge to stare down. "Ikko!"

His groan came with more coherence this time, as he blinked blearily into the waking world. "Time is it…?"

"Oh, thank god…" She slumped, arms failing. He realised it was her weight – her head crushing his chest, staining his shirt with tears and frantic, choking sobs. "I'm sorry…!

"What for?" He croaked. He felt rough, like every inch of his insides had been torn out, dragged through sand, then shoved back into him. "Where am I?"

"We're in my room. Ikko, I'm sorry – you came in, and – and I tried to stop myself, but I… I…" Her next words cracked over the aching sob that shattered her calm. She slumped again, leaning on his chest.

"Your room? Why are we-" He couldn't make sense of it, couldn't wrap his head around it. "Etsuko told me to come see you."

Kia didn't help, staining his shirt with what remained of her makeup. Ikko took a breath, cutting his words off. He lay back, finding a pillow underneath his head. "What happened?"

"You don't," she stumbled over a sniff, "You don't remember?"

"N-no. I remember last night." The memory of the cold shock that woke him stirred, unbidden. "And this morning, you never showed for class. Etsuko told me to come find you, so I snuck out over break…"

His memories slammed into that cold shock again. Naught but black remained beyond it. "I don't remember…"

A phone buzzed. Her phone. Kia didn't check it, instead wiping her sunken eyes and attempting to take a breath between hiccups. "It's hard to explain, but… Ikko, I tried to get you to leave. You have to know that – you have to understand, I never meant to-"

"Meant to what?" Ikko sat, propping himself up on his elbows. "Kia, what did you do?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Feeling? What's that got to do with it?"

"Answer the question, Ikko. It'll make sense – how're you feeling?"

He stared at her, bewildered. In the dark, he found only her once-sunny flesh now pale, veiny, sickly grey like someone mixed pitch into her blood, and her eyes. Deep, dark, quivering eyes, the same eyes that once threatened to gorge on his innards and end his horrific first day. "How're you feeling?" She repeated.

"Kinda sick-"

"No, that's your body. That's nausea. Focus on your feelings."

"Kia, what are you-"

"Answer me, Ikko! What are you _feeling_?"

"Nothing!" He yelled, ripping back the curtain of crawling sickness and churning bowels. A hollowness rested at the seat of him. He looked down, away, brow arching. "I don't feel… anything?"

Kia hung her head. "You should be terrified. That's the natural response – the _human_ response – to a form like mine."

"I don't…" Ikko placed a hand on his chest, feeling for a heartbeat. He found it. "Kia, what happened? What did you do?"

"I told you." She lifted her gaze again, hiding behind a shattered smile. "I'm a wraith. Only part, sure, but it's a pretty big part. Big enough to… inherit the worst of it."

"What?"

"I'm getting there! It's… I can't really explain it." His frustration carried some reassurance for the girl, who moved to sit at his side on the bed. Ikko watched her, waiting. "Wraiths are… they don't _feel_ , like humans do. Like monsters do. I-I mean they can, but it's like… fuel? Once they run out, they have to – to replenish it."

"Replenish?" Ikko tilted his head, running a hand through his hair. Cold sweat dewed his palm. He remembered Mizore's lessons. "You mean... you don't mean replenish. You mean feed, don't you? That's how – so you just-"

"I didn't mean to!" Kia shouted over him. "Ikko, you have to believe me. I've been keeping it in check all month, but- but the breakup, and now you…!"

"You fed on me?"

Her gaze fled from his. Kia shrank. "I didn't mean to," she whimpered, "I didn't…!"

"So when you asked what I felt, you were checking – you checked if you hadn't sucked me dry!"

"I thought I'd killed you!" Kia's voice broke, "I've never fed like this, I didn't – I didn't know what I was doing until after I was done! Ikko, you have to believe me…"

Her phone buzzed again, the constant pattern of a call. "Who is it?" Ikko whispered, eyes wild, unblinking. Kia dragged herself across to her desk.

"Etsuko." She didn't pick the phone up, didn't answer. The vibrating pulled the phone across the desk, millimetre by millimetre. Ikko watched her, his friend – shoulders slumped, still rocked by ghosts of her sobs, her pleas. The hollowness of his chest warmed.

"You swear you didn't mean it?" He asked, lifting from the bed. Knees wobbled underneath him, forcing him to clutch to the desk.

"I didn't!" Kia cried, matching his gaze. "I never meant to hurt you. Never, not once – I swear…"

His addled thoughts began to crystallise. If Etsuko called Kia, then… did she know he was here? "How long has it been since I got here?"

"Huh? About… you were out for – I think it was about an hour."

"Break's over. I missed class." Ikko exhaled, puffing his cheeks out. The call rang out – only to start again. "Let me answer it."

"Why? No! Ikko, you can't-"

"It's Etsuko, isn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

"Let me answer it," He coughed, reaching for the phone. Kia snatched it away. "Kia!"

"If she finds out- Ikko, there are _laws_ about this! Not rules – not detention – I mean laws."

"She won't!" He replied, trying to catch his breath. "She won't. She just needs to know I'm okay, right? If I answer, then…"

Kia held the phone out at arm's length. Ikko reached out for it, slumping against the desk. "I'm trusting you, Kia. You didn't do anything wrong – you didn't mean to. Trust me. Let me help, for once… for once…!"

"How is this going to help!?"

"Trust me, Kia!" Ikko swiped, feebly, fingers grasping. Kia beheld him, panting, crumpled against the desk. She helped him into the seat before his legs surrendered the rest of his shaky upright stand. "Trust me…"

"I do." Kia whispered. "I do. I trust you."

Ikko held his hand out. She pressed the phone into his palm. Etsuko called for the third time. He swiped to answer.

"Kia! Kia, it's Etsuko."

"Not Kia." Ikko cleared his throat, strangling the enervation. "Not Kia. It's me."

"Ikko?"

"What's up?"

"Ikko! Where's Kia? Are you okay?"

"She's here – I'm fine." He forced a smile, that it might bleed into his words. Kia hung onto every syllable, breath held. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Hang on – Miss! Miss Shirayuki, it's Ikko!"

His heart sank. Uh-oh. Etsuko spoke to him before he could collect himself. "Why are you answering Kia's phone?"

"She's, uh-" He looked around the dark, messy room. Laptop, books, empty glass, toilet… "She's in the bathroom."

"Oh." She eased her frantic tone, the microphone struggling to contain the volume of the breath Etsuko released. "I see. And you're okay?"

"Yes!" He threw in a small chuckle. "Why wouldn't I be? What's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing. You were taking so long, I thought-"

"I'm _fine_." Ikko coughed, pulling the phone away. "We just got a little… caught up."

"You what?"

"It doesn't matter – look, I'm fine. I'm coming back to class." Kia's eyes widened. "I'll see you when I get there?"

"Okay… Well, maybe. Miss Shirayuki looks pi- angry. Annoyed."

"She does?" Ikko gulped. " 'Course she does. Alright, well-"

"Oh, and someone's on her way over to see Kia. Ruby, was it? She's staff."

Now Ikko met Kia's eyes, and shared the rising panic. "S-sure! I'll let her know."

Ending the call, Ikko let the phone drop back onto the desk and slumped back into his seat. "Ruby's on her way."

"Okay." Kia nodded, shoulders dropping. They soon snapped back. "No, not okay! Ikko, if she sees you like this, you're not fooling anyone! You can barely stand!"

He chewed on this. "Wh-what do we do?"

A knock caught them both off guard. Kia yelped. "Who-who is it?"

"Tayama? It's Ruby, from your orientation." Ruby's voice struggled through the door. "Can I come in?"

"J-just a sec!" Kia squeaked. "I'm – uh – I'm…!"

"Bathroom!" Ikko hissed. She grabbed him and yanked them both inside as quietly as she could, struggling to hold Ikko's weight as his legs gave out properly. The slightest movement drained all his strength.

"Quiet!" Kia whispered, shushing his groan as he came to rest on the floor.

"I don't feel so good…" he murmured, head lolling. He felt his insides start to choke and glut his throat, bringing back the nausea that haunted him.

"Just- just stay here, alright?"

"Tayama?" Ruby knocked again, more insistent. "Kia? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah, everything's fine! Hang on!" Kia flushed the toilet and closed the door, leaving Ikko completely in the dark. He tried to adjust and get comfortable, squeezed into the corner, but he froze the moment he heard her door open.

"Tayama – oh, Tayama, your Guise…"

"Ruby…" Kia sniffed. Ikko nudged and scraped over to the door, to better hear. "Sorry, sorry. Let me just…"

"No, it's okay. Don't force yourself. Where's Ikko?"

"He left – didn't you pass him?"

A pause. "No. No, I didn't…"

"Weird. W-well, er, how can I help?"

"The headmaster wants to see you. Both of you, actually. Miss Shirayuki, too."

"Why? What happened?"

"It's…" Ruby's voice trailed off, "It's about – well, there's no easy way to say this. We need to talk about your father's arrangement."

"What? Why?" Kia wavered. "What does that have to do with Ikko? Miss Shirayuki, I understand, but he-"

"He'll explain when you get there. Come on, Tayama. I need to call Miss Shirayuki and let her know to find Ikko."

Kia fell silent. Ikko held his breath, held still, and only when he heard the door shut and the lock click did he make another sound. He slumped against the bathroom wall, groaning, finally allowing himself to feel all the strain he'd strangled.

This all moved too fast. From cold shock to Etsuko's call, his tenuous grip on the situation began to fail completely. If the headmaster needed him, it wouldn't be long before they found him. He just needed to walk outside – but if they found him like this…

He switched on the light. What did 'like this' mean? The mirror's answer sparked a fresh bout of disgust. His pale skin drawn, hair tangled and matted in cold sweat. His chest heaved, fighting for every breath. Never mind his emotions – it looked like Kia had sucked every scrap of life from his marrow. His arms quivered, struggling to grip the sink, to support himself. He tested his balance, lifting one hand, and then the other.

"Now what…?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I'm alive! So sorry for the delay. I hope you can forgive me.**

 **I make no promises about the gap, as life has its way of... well, being life. I received some very warm messages and I was glad to read them; thank you all for enjoying TPf. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it.**

 **Back to it!**

* * *

Ikko woke to warmth. He shifted, aware now of the silken weight pressing down upon him. A duvet. He sniffed, smelling the distinct herbal afterscent of Ruby's masking spell. "My room…?"

Waking proper erased all doubt. He recognised the patterns in the ceiling paint, the hum of his console left on standby, though he'd never seen his room lit so early in Yokai's miserably daylight before. Ikko swallowed, throat dry. His attempt to move from the bed stymied by a foreign weight at the edge, holding down the covers on one side. He turned to face the obstruction, seeing a horrifyingly familiar waterfall of icicle-blue hair.

"Mizore…"

The call of her name broke Mizore from her trance. She jolted upright, stiffening, before a small inhale and a calming sigh prepared her next words. "You have a lot of questions to answer, Ikko."

He made his confusion clear, trying again to sit up. Her weight made it impossible to move from his current prison, given that the other side of the bed faced the wall. "Why am I here?"

"I carried you."

"You _what_?"

"You heard me." Mizore didn't look at him. She stared straight ahead, chin perched on crossed thumbs, lips against linked fingers. Her focussed stance muffled her words somewhat, but he did not mistake their weight. "Do you know where I found you?"

As if anchored there, Ikko's mind jumped back to the cold shock that first awoke him in Kia's room. He closed his eyes in an attempt to remember but found only dark and murk. No panic swelled to greet the revelation. He answered quietly. "No…"

"I found you collapsed on my way up to Kia's room. It's a miracle you didn't fall down the stairs."

"Oh." Ikko mumbled, hollow.

"What were you doing up there?"

Ikko furrowed his brow, concentrating. Murk cleared, becoming memory once more. He remembered Kia's eyes. He remembered what she did, and that explained his distinct lack of reaction to finding Mizore in his room. "I went to see her."

"I told you to wait until after class."

"Yeah, but…" Ikko wrestled and wrenched himself into a sitting position; Mizore finally relented, lifting so he could move properly. "This was important."

"More important than school?"

"A little bit. Where is she?"

"Kia? She's with the headmaster." Another dull thud of a revelation. Ikko felt no urgency, no desperation, no rising dread. Such feelings passed him by as if they were mere beasts in a field, curiosities to drive past without remark.

"Oh."

"You're lucky to be alive."

"That's not new."

"I'm serious."

"So am I," replied he, flat, "Kotsubo, Masumi – this isn't new. He said it best; I could well forfeit my life, studying here."

Mizore's fingers curled. She took another breath, trembling with restraint. "Do you understand what she's done to you?"

Using his detached vantage, Ikko could see the leading question for what it was, even as she dressed it up with concern. He answered carefully, realising that any clumsy answer might indict his best friend. "My friend didn't do anything to me."

"Don't – Ikko." Mizore's fists balled. She looked down, strangling disbelief with a single chuckle. "Don't lie."

"I'm not lying."

"You are!"

"I'm not." He insisted. "My friend didn't do anything to me."

"I had Ruby look you over before she joined the headmaster," said she, "You'll heal, but this isn't a broken bone or a few pints of blood. This is your soul we're talking about – so I'll ask you again."

She finally turned to face him, swinging around and drawing her legs up to sit cross-legged at the foot of the mattress. Ikko's eyes sharpened, focussing. Had she always looked so tired? So drained? Her eyes sunk, dragged down by heavy purple bags. Hair split and stuck at odd angles, ill-tended. He remembered her beauty, her eccentricity, but now saw only her weariness. Had it always been there, waiting for Kia's feeding to tear away such tinted lenses?

Mizore asked him again, with a quiet threat in her voice. "What did Kia do to you?"

Ikko swallowed. He matched her gaze, the gaunt student staring defiantly at exhausted teacher. He chose his next words as carefully as he could. "Nothing. Nothing I didn't consent to."

Mizore's shoulders slumped. "You- you knew this was going to happen."

He leaned as heavily as he could on this temporary hollowness, that so drained his inability to mask a lie. "I did. Kia explained, and I saw her distress. I wanted to help her…"

"Ikko…" She trailed off. "Ikko, this is serious. Did you knowingly let this happen?"

"I did."

"How could you be so reckless!?" The explosion caught him off guard. Mizore's pitched, cracked. "After everything we talked about – everything you've been through – this is what you choose to do? What if you'd died?"

"I…" Cold logic revealed no answer. A muted shame began to bubble, rising from a bog in his breast, but at least the lie was sold, and Kia spared. He hoped. "I don't know."

"Of course you don't! This-" Mizore went on, struggling to catch her breath. "This isn't a _game_ , Ikko. You can't just throw your lot in with us and assume everything'll be fine! How am I supposed to look out for you if you're throwing yourself into danger at every opportunity? It's like you're not even trying to survive!"

"Why do you care so much?" Ikko asked. "It's not like you asked to protect me. You did everything you could to try and stop me staying."

Mizore's expression slackened. Ikko wondered, numbly, if he would have made such an accusation were he not so hollow inside. It seemed a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. He watched her composure return, taking the shape of a frown. "It's my job to protect you," she answered, coolly, "And more than that, as your teacher – as your friend – do you have any idea how I felt when I found you? How long is it going to be before I find you, and you don't wake up again?"

That sparked something in him. Ikko's breath caught. He understood, for a moment, and that caused him to curl in on himself, tugging the sheets up. "I'm sorry."

"Now it starts to sink in," Mizore sighed.

Ikko said nothing. He looked uselessly to her, to the bedsheets, back to to her. Mizore didn't meet his eye, her expression partly masked by the icicles of her hair. "You're an awful liar, Ikko," she whispered, "I thought you were better than this? I thought you trusted me?"

"I do," said he, "But… Kia- she didn't mean to. It wasn't her fault."

"What she meant to do doesn't matter," Mizore exhaled, "Wanting to defend her is admirable, Ikko. It is – and I get it – but you can't ignore what she did to you. Do you understand that, at least?"

She fixed him with a simple, direct stare. Ikko's silence gave her all the answers she needed. Mizore shook her head. "If I'd known she was a Notable…"

"A what?"

"A Notable," Mizore repeated, "One of the species of monster Yokai keeps on record for their unique dietary requirements. Specifically-" she pointed at him, "Those whose requirements pose a mortal threat to other students."

Ikko watched Mizore, "How come you didn't know?"

"I don't know – I'll be finding out the moment the headmaster's free. Teachers should have a list of every Notable in their class!"

Her rage sparked another reaction – Ikko began to feel his emotions with greater clarity, though they still seemed miles away, difficult to grasp, like straining to reach from one side of a table to another. He cast about the room, trying to find something to latch onto as she calmed. "Whatever she is, Ikko, she took a chunk out of your soul. That's not coming back any time soon – not like blood will. Ruby reckons you'll be like this for a month, maybe two. God only knows what that looks like…"

He ran those words through his head – twice, maybe three times. Out of his soul? He wondered if that were indeed possible, but for all he knew of the monster world so far, he could only take Mizore at her word. She certainly believed so, and behaved as such. "What happens now?"

"Now?" Mizore tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling. "We wait. Couldn't take you to the hospital in your state – there wasn't anything they could do, anyway. The headmaster will send word once he's spoken with Kia."

"What happens to her?"

Mizore didn't answer immediately. Only when Ikko pressed the question by asking again did she make a vague shrug. "I don't know. Yokai's no stranger to Notables acting up. The species on the list are rare enough that we don't see one every year, but it happens…"

"Was there one when you were at school?" he continued.

"There were…" Mizore counted on her fingers, "Three? Four? Maybe more. Four that I knew."

"That many?"

"It was a _weird_ three years," Mizore admitted, "One family of vampires, all sisters – and him, too."

"Him?"

A knock at the door ended their conversation. Ikko snapped to attention. "It's Ruby," announced the voice, "The headmaster will see you now, Ikko."

He and Mizore exchanged a look, but said nothing. They left in silence, Ikko's head swimming with thoughts – but the concern, he noted, seemed faint and distant. Logic and experience told him he should be more frantic than this, but it just didn't seem to come with the urgency he expected.

It hit him. He understood, finally, what Mizore meant by a chunk of his soul. He thought that these things, his emotions, the core of what made Ikko Ikko, to be gone – but no. He experienced them as if they were happening to someone else, his detached perspective no better than that of someone reading a book, or playing a game. He understood them, reckoned their impact, but the intensity and effect were simply… gone.

Reflexively, he clutched at his chest, squeezing as if his insides were suddenly gaseous, and he had to do his utmost to keep them tight to his breast.

* * *

The headmaster's office hadn't changed in the scant months since Ikko's last visit. They entered at his prompting, Ikko once again drawn to the ornate cross adorning the headmaster's plaque.

Ikko saw only the headmaster. Kia wasn't there, nor Ruby. He and Mizore walked together until they were feet from the desk, where two carved, high-backed chairs awaited them. Mizore sat first.

"You seem to have a knack for this," said the headmaster, smile ever-present. His tone gave Ikko the distinct impression of amusement, "A knack that transcends the most ardent efforts of your protectors, to their apparent frustration."

Ikko looked at Mizore. She sat, arms folded, icy eyes glued to the headmaster. "Tayama has explained her side of the story," said he, peering at them from just under the lip of his hood, "You snuck into the girls' dormitory during school hours, found Tayama's room, and found her there desperately starved. You may as well have brought a platter."

"How was he to know she was a Notable?" Mizore interjected, "Even I wasn't made aware."

The headmaster raised his hand. "Do you have aught to say on the matter, Akada?"

The defences he'd thrown so readily at Mizore seemed feeble under the weight of the headmaster's stare. "No, sir," he mumbled, shaking his head as his gaze fell hopelessly to the carpet.

"The damage done is not irreparable. Tayama's father advised the school of her dietary troubles, and despite arrangements she seems determined to deny that she requires that which her blood demands," the headmaster sighed, "The folly of youth. Her recklessness – and yours, Akada, make no mistake – very nearly cost you a fate worse than death. Twice, now, you have been saved by the miracle of Tayama's good nature, and her fondness for you. I would call it luck, but… given the consequences…"

"Consequences?" Ikko looked up from his feet.

"A third incident of this severity is unconsciable, especially given Kotsubo's outburst prior – not that it was anyone's fault but Kotsubo's, Miss Shirayuki. Do calm yourself."

Mizore had leaned forward, mouth opening in protest. She clenched her jaw and fell back. The headmaster continued, as if he had never been interrupted, "Tayama's father has been alerted. As we speak he is en route to collect Tayama and take her home for Golden Week, to impress upon her the importance of her body's requirements. It will be her decision to return to Yokai, should she wish – and if we are satisfied with the progress she has made."

Ikko nodded. "Can I see her?" he asked, "Before she goes."

"No." The word rang out with its finality. The hollowness in Ikko's chest tightened. "Tayama does not wish to see you. No doubt she is ashamed of the damage she's caused, and does not wish to face the victim. I suggested she speak with you, but… alas."

The headmaster opened his arms, smile slipping from one corner as if to say 'What can one do?'. Ikko nodded his understanding, now folding his arms like Mizore. "Miss Shirayuki," said the headmaster, "Please accept my apologies. The… surprise of Akada's arrival delayed my notifications regarding the Notable in your class. You should have been made aware far sooner."

Mizore nodded, curt. "Akada," the headmaster turned to Ikko as quickly as he had left him, "Ruby will be along to administer what little treatment we can offer such a unique form of magical damage. You will be confined your dormitory until Golden Week, at which time you may join your peers who elect to remain – under the supervision of one of your guardians. Clear?"

"Okay," Ikko mumbled.

The headmaster tipped his head. "What was that?"

Ikko looked up. He faced the still-smiling monk and, suppressing as much of the chill from his voice as he could, grunted. "Yes, sir."

It seemed Kia had left the harsher emotions behind.

"Good," the headmaster closed, looking to the papers on his desk, "Miss Shirayuki, escort Akada back to his room. I doubt it needs repeating, but not a word of this to the other students. We don't want them getting the wrong idea about Akada's… enervated condition."

Mizore looked to Ikko, saw his fists clenched and his eyes downcast once more. She pursed her lips, feeling that the apology she received rang emptier and emptier with every passing second. "Sir," she whispered, standing. She placed a hand on Ikko's shoulder, leading him away.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Two in a week! So far so good. It's taken me a bit to get back into the swing; I nearly forgot where I was in the story (not touching it for a year will do that). Luckily, I found my old character notes. Make sure you write the important stuff down!**

 **Without further ado- enjoy!**

* * *

As the headmaster suggested, Ruby indeed waited for Ikko at his dormitory. She waited outside, arms folded, consternation scrunching her brow. She chewed her thumbnail, stopping when she heard the pair of footsteps. "How did it go?"

Ikko was grateful this was the only question he'd be facing. As school continued, oblivious to the troubles, they encountered no students upon their return to the dormitory. "About as well as expected," Mizore sighed, "He apologised for not notifying me sooner, for all the good it does."

Ruby made a strange noise, not quite understanding, but almost sympathetic. Ikko looked up at her. "He's confined to dorm until Golden Week," said Mizore, patting him on the shoulder, "I'll drop off any homework you miss. For now – I'd best get back."

She turned to leave, the abruptness causing Ikko to turn and watch her go. Ruby cleared her throat, smiling slightly. "How're you feeling?"

"That's the problem, isn't it?" he asked, "That I'm not."

"Yes, well…" Ruby huffed through her nose. "Come on. In you get."

He unlocked the door. A cold draught from the open window caught him first. He hastened to close it. "I'll be treating you daily," Ruby announced to his back, "Not that there's much to be done except wait, but there are some things we can do to encourage the soul to heal."

"The headmaster said I'd escaped a fate worse than death," Ikko began, "What did he mean by that?"

Ruby shifted, grasping an arm with her hand. "Souls are… delicate things, but not really required where life is concerned. A body can continue living without a soul. It'll eat, sleep, repeat – but it's base instinct. Nothing more. Everything that makes up who you are would be gone."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Ruby nodded, "You hear about it sometimes. There's different words for it. Zombie is one of the more popular. Certain species of monster can… corrode the soul, or override it. It's not quite the same, but the effect, on the surface, looks very similar."

Ikko frowned. "And Yokai just… lets those monsters in? Why?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Ruby replied, arching a brow, "If anything, those are the monsters that would benefit most from our training. Learning to coexist whilst causing as little harm as possible to their fellows – it keeps us all safe. Not everyone feels the same. Some think we're better off without their kind – or worse, that they should be free to do as they please." As she spoke, Ruby cleared a small space on Ikko's desk, unravelling her gloves and setting them gently down. She turned back to him with a resolute stare. "Regardless – they have as much right to be here as anyone. Don't forget that, Ikko."

"They have more right to be here than me," Ikko murmured, "It's a school for them, after all."

His matter-of-fact tone didn't faze Ruby. She didn't respond, though, instead splaying her fingers and changing the subject. "Open your shirt, please."

Doing so, Ikko asked, "What are you going to do?"

"There's nothing in the way of particular spells that'll fix damage like this. Magic can't fix magic."

"Not even healing spells?"

Ruby chuckled. "Do you see a wound?"

He shook his head. Ruby placed her palms flat against Ikko's chest. Her skin was warm to the touch, smelling of soft earth after the rain. "The only thing to be done is to replenish what was taken, and stimulate your soul towards recovery. Think of it as spiritual self-care."

"You mean meditation?"

Another laugh. "Yes, after a fashion. I'm going to give you an infusion of emotional energy. Not at lost, just… enough. It should give your soul enough of a kick to start healing more properly."

Ikko nodded. A faint glow began to pulse between them, an ember-like warmth leeching from her hands into his flesh. It spread through his chest, then snaked down his arms, into his fingertips. He noticed how close how close Ruby stood, how her warm breath came slowly, steadily, concentrating deeply on the task at hand. He flushed. "Uh… Ruby."

"Hm?" She whispered, distracted, eyes closed.

"You're, uh…" His body stiffened, but he daren't interrupt her by pulling away. "How close do you need to be for this?"

The corner of her dark lips twitched up. She opened her eyes and pulled away. "Contact helps – but you're sounding more like yourself. I'd call that a success, wouldn't you?"

Ikko very much doubted that he would call anything like that a success, but smiled awkwardly. Ruby replaced her gloves. "I'm going to lock the door behind you. You're allowed to use the kitchen, but either Mizore or I will be outside until Golden Week. Understand?"

Ikko opened his mouth, but swiftly closed it. He nodded, strangling the question that began to form. He redressed and took a seat as Ruby left, staring at the blank TV screen.

Kia's complaints about his spending too much time on his games echoed softly in his mind. He had wanted to ask whether he was allowed visitors, but given that she was the only one who had ever come knocking, doubted very much that it would be worth asking.

He picked up his controller, switching it on.

Mizore's head settled on her desk, the pages of her textbook warm, but the words uninviting. She could not shake the headmaster's damnable smile, the same one that accompanied every explanation, every excuse, every apology. She did not doubt that this had been some machination gone horribly awry – experience told her to know better than to take any of his words at face value.

She checked her phone for the time. In a few hours, Ruby would text to alert her to a change in shifts, and she would pack up the educational textbook and mope in the corridor, waiting quietly for the hours to pass. Then it would be back here to sleep, perhaps for an hour or so, before the morning bell rang and it was back to classes.

She thumbed the bridge of her nose, pinching ever so slightly. Ikko's penchant for trouble rivalled the only other human she knew, but she couldn't hate him for it. In his own clumsy way, he had tried to defend Kia, his only friend. She could remember Tsukune doing much the same for her, once upon a time.

Her phone buzzed before she could slip down that particular rabbit hole. Yukari's name flashed on the notification.

'Will you be joining us for Golden Week?'

Mizore unlocked her phone and read the message in full. The witch had attached a photo from the previous year. A photo of smiling faces and full glasses, of an evening well-spent – and a far happier ghost lingering in the very corner of the photo.

She scowled, but didn't respond immediately. She thought through her answer, typing slowly.

'Not anymore. Something came up with a transfer, and I have my exams. Sorry'

Send. She locked her phone and set it face down, looking back determinedly to her textbook as if it would make the excuse slightly more believable. It wasn't untrue, but it didn't stop regret from coiling around her stomach. Mizore ran her palms up her face, using the tips of her fingers to push her eyes open.

Either Yokai made things difficult or fate did, and she wanted to believe that the phenomenon was localized at least to the campus. She could spend less syllables cursing, that way – and sound a little less dramatic to boot. "Stupid school," she intoned.

After a few more fruitless attempts to start her revision afresh, Mizore's phone buzzed again. She snatched it up and answered.

"It's Ruby," hummed the voice on the other side, "Ready?"

"Be there in a sec," she sighed, "Just gonna pack some things. How is he?"

"Fine," Ruby sounded like she shrugged, "Playing his games. Maybe he's fallen asleep, I don't know. He took to the treatment well enough."

"Mm," Mizore stuffed her textbook in her bag, "Good. If he can learn from this, so much the better."

"Did he?"

"Did who?" She wished she hadn't asked, cutting Ruby off at the second syllable. "No, he didn't. Is that supposed to exonerate him?"

"I suppose not." Ruby trailed off. Mizore paused, mid-pack, noticing that Ruby wasn't hanging up.

"…What?" she asked, wary.

"What? Nothing," the witch replied quickly, "Just, uh… you wanna talk about anything?"

Mizore closed her eyes. "Yukari spoke to you."

"Only a quick text! I just thought-"

"Ruby…" Mizore groaned. "Not now. Please. Not now, just… let me get through tonight."

She let the silence linger for a moment – just a moment – before whispering over Ruby's muted sigh. "I'll see you in a sec."

"Alright."

Mizore stowed her phone in her jeans pocket and looked around the room. She checked her bag for her revision materials, the indignance of having been made to study for her qualifications and baby a human transfer boiling over into a muttered curse. She spied her controller on the desk, and the console on standby nearby.

She chewed her lip.

Ikko didn't hear Mizore arrive until his door clicked shut. He caught her in his peripheral vision and popped out his earphones. "Miss Shirayuki?"

Mizore leaned on his door, shoulders slumped, the tangle of her hair casting her pale, pupilless eyes into shadow. She clutched a small, patched rucksack in tightly curled fists, pale knuckled stark even against alabaster skin. "Uh… Miss?" he prompted, leaning back in his chair.

"We're back to Miss, are we?" she whispered.

"I figured…" A lump glutted his throat. Ikko swallowed. "After today. I messed up real bad, so…"

He didn't understand. Watching her, Ikko wondered if he ever would understand the inscrutable chaos of Mizore's personality. "We can, um… not be back to Miss, if you'd like," he paused for a breath, "Mizore?"

Her fingers eased, and she unglued herself from the door to shuffle into the room. "How're you feeling?"

"Should I be asking you that?" Ikko replied, looking up at her.

Her lips curled in too pale an imitation to be called a smile. "No. No, you shouldn't – but you shouldn't be here," she nodded to him, "I shouldn't be here. _He_ shouldn't have hired me…"

She dropped her bag. It landed with a thump and a muffled clatter as two things jostled together. His eyes darted briefly down to it, then shot back up to Mizore. He daren't speak, lest he cause whatever awful train Mizore rode to crash, but the need to do something compelled a half-strangled, half-gurgled, "Uh…" to bubble forth. He cleared his throat, masking it behind a cough.

Mizore looked up from her knees, eyes wide, expression otherwise blank, making her almost crazed in the harsh light of the dorm room. "Teaching's hard," she stated.

"I don't doubt it," Ikko murmured, "Though it'd be easier if, uh… if I wasn't around. Is that what you're saying?"

"Maybe," she breathed in, let loose a long, careworn sigh. "Maybe. God knows what I was thinking, accepting the headmaster's invitation. I should have known something like – something like…"

"Something like me?"

"Something like you, yes!" Mizore's voice pitched upwards. "Not that it's your fault – you got snared just as much as I did."

Their eyes met. For the madness of it, and for lack of anything valuable to contribute to what he guessed was her frustration at the headmaster, Ikko laughed. "He is a bit weird, isn't he?"

"A bit?" Mizore flung her hands up. "A bit! He's got to be crazy. Got to be. Dragging in a human so soon after… And then sticking them with me."

She rolled her eyes, scoffed. Ikko relaxed, preferring this to her frantic, stifled madness. "At least we're stuck in this together," he offered, trying another smile, "I thought, uh, maybe I wouldn't have anyone, now that Kia- now that Tayama's, y'know. Now that her dad's…" He trailed off. A tightness in his chest gripped him. "But you're here, and we said we'd figure this out. Somehow."

"We did," Mizore nodded. She took another, longer breath, pushing back her hair, then unzipped her bag. She stared into its contents, which remained hidden from view. Ikko looked at her, not wanting to seem to obvious in his curiosity.

She came to some decision unknown to him, for Mizore muttered, "Screw it," and looked once more his way, "I have a favour to ask."

"What? Me?"

"Yes." Her eyes shifted. Ikko caught the reflection of his TV screen in them – in particular, the pause screen. "I've been up to my ears in paperwork and revision and… you."

"Right…"

"So I'm taking a break. And you're going to help."

"You – what?"

Mizore reached into her bag, pulling out a controller like his, but blue. It matched her hair. "It's co-op, right?" she asked, nodding to the screen.

"You want to play?"

Her gaze seemed to plead. Ikko furrowed his brow. "I've never really played co-op before."

"I'll 'forget' to pass you that homework you're going to miss." Mizore offered.

"Deal," Ikko answered, before he could stop himself. They exchanged a glance, then broke simultaneously into laughter. Mizore held out her hand to shake, and they sealed the deal with childish grins.

It took a moment to sort their setup up. Mizore synced her controller and sat cross-legged on Ikko's bed, extracting a lollipop from her bag and sucking thoughtfully on it. "I haven't played in ages," she mumbled.

Ikko, half-way through pulling his chair back to grant her a better view of the screen turned to answer. "Why-uh."

He looked determinedly at the screen. She wore a skirt, and in her excitement hadn't noticed how it had hitched up as she made herself comfortable. "Why-uh?" Mizore parroted.

"Why not?"

"Studying. Work. It's amazing, how life seems to chew up your time when you get past school."

"Huh…" Ikko returned to the main menu, and they started a fresh campaign. "You played this before?"

"I think I played the first one?" Mizore shrugged. "Not for ages, if I have. I usually prefer," she yawned, "Prefer RPGs…"

"Oh?"

"Mm."

They played in silence through the first handful of missions. Ikko marvelled – despite her apparent lack of expertise, Mizore played very well. Either that, or his envisioned level of skill stood decidedly lower than he hoped. His room filled with the quiet ambience of low-volume gunfire and clacking of buttons.

"You play a lot." Mizore observed.

Ikko nodded. "Yeah. Good to pass the time."

"Good way to waste it," she breathed a laugh, "The number of times Mom scolded me for holing up when I should have been out looking for a job…"

"You live with her?"

"Only between graduating and this. Yokai's got my room and board covered whilst I teach, so I'm free to look for a place in the meanwhile. Commuting's not a problem when you have a bus like Yokai's at your disposal."

"What?"

"You didn't realise? That bus can go anywhere there's a tunnel. Like that," between swapping guns, Mizore clicked her fingers. "Hey, watch-"

He didn't see what she warned him about, for Ikko turned to stare agog at Mizore. "No."

"Yes." She looked back, explaining, "I don't live anywhere near you, and we made the trip from mine to Yokai in about… twenty minutes?"

"Really?" Ikko marvelled. A magic bus – what else could this world possibly hide? He decided not to ask. "Where is it you live, then?"

"Oh – away," Mizore answered, vague, "Some monster communities enjoy magical protection from the human world, like Yokai. Mine's a bit like that."

"So you live away from humans?"

"Sort of." She tilted her head, making a corrective wince. "There's a settlement of humans not _too_ far from the village, but they keep their distance we keep ours, for the most part."

Mizore gained a momentarily distant look, as if pulled away. They both died, drawn back to the game by the game over sound. "Whoops." Mizore said, smacking her lips as she withdrew her lollipop. She took the chance to set her controller down and stretch.

Ikko flushed. She was by no means unattractive, and the infusion of Ruby's emotions seemed to excite his own. "Shall we try again?" He offered, feebly.

"Sure."

He hit continue, but before they made any meaningful headway Mizore spoke up again. "Ikko – you're a good person."

"What?" He looked back – his eyes darting once more to the TV when he realised she still hadn't uncrossed her legs. "Where'd that come from?"

She spoke quietly, through a whisper of a sigh that gave him good reason to suspect there was more behind her need to game than simple frustration at her workload. "You're only human, but you stuck your neck out like that for Tayama – I don't know. It was a good thing, you did, even if it was stupid."

"Thanks…?"

"And this." She nodded to the screen. "I needed this. It's been a hell of a handful, y'know. Kotsubo, this…"

She fixed him with a soft look, the kind that drew the eyes even when one knew better than to look properly. Ikko felt his cheeks heat. "Can you promise me that you'll at least try not to end up in mortal peril after Golden Week?"

"So it's okay before and during?"

She laughed, hair shaking, eyes closing with mirth. "Just… try. Please?"

"It's not like I want to," Ikko sighed, "But yes, Mis- Mizore. I promise I'll try."

"Good."

Another game over noise broke his gaze. His cheeks still burning, Ikko cleared his throat. "Once more?"

"Once more."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I'm glad to be back on the wagon. A scant few months ago, 4,000 words in less than a week seemed almost impossible with my schedule, but I'm getting there!**

 **Thank you everyone who's checked into read Thawing Permafrost so far. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, good and bad, so don't hesitate to drop a review! It's only gonna make this story better.**

* * *

"You're looking a lot better."

Ikko closed his shirt, making a point of checking outside the window whilst his cheeks cooled. Unperturbed as she was by the treatment, he thought it good form to at least try and appear the same. "Yeah?"

"Well, you've always been a little bit miserable, but you seem less so."

Ikko shot her a look. The witch laughed, checking the wrap of her gloves. "You hungry?"

The pale morning light wrestled its way past Yokai's ever-present gloom. Heavy clouds did their best to stifle the feeble reach of the dawn's cheer, but a few rays managed to break free to bathe Ikko's face. "A little."

"Why don't we head down to Preternatural Street, grab a bite?"

He looked momentarily confused. "I thought I was confined to my room?"

"Until the start of Golden Week," Ruby nodded, "Which starts today."

"Already?" Ikko didn't have a calendar, and the lack of a phone left him disconnected from his primary reference point. The days from midweek to now came and went as an amorphous blur of sleep, food, and video games.

"I was wondering why you were in your uniform." Ruby grinned. "Get changed and meet me downstairs. You could use a change of scenery, I'm sure."

He agreed. Throwing off his shirt and picking out a long-sleeve top to go with his jeans, Ikko considered how unusually pleasant this 'punishment' had been. Days spent playing video games, talking with Ruby, and then Mizore's increasingly regular visits turned what had supposedly been the headmaster's verdict into a rather relaxing extended holiday. He wondered, with a cynical jolt, if it had been meant to keep him out of harm's way. In which case there was no doubt about its success. He had seen neither hide nor hair of Etsuko, Sasahara, or anyone except his guardians. Lacking Tayama to remind them of his presence, Yokai Academy seemed quite content to forget him.

He met Ruby at the bottom of the stairs. Even this proved invigorating, as he found a warmer expression and waved. "Here," said she, producing a brown paper envelope, "Some cash for your phone. Sorry it took so long – you know how insurance claims get…"

"Yokai's insured for this?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's mainly property damage claims, not broken possessions, but they all fit under the same umbrella. Some student or another gets too rowdy, then there's a hole in the wall…" Ruby sighed, looking away to the dormitory exit. "The paperwork alone… you know, when I first started, that's all the headmaster had me doing."

"I'm sure that must have been, uh… hard?"

"Mm. Certainly frustrating, when all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends."

They started to walk. Preternatural Street started only a short hop from the main campus, and it wasn't long before they began to see other students commencing their Golden Week celebrations.

Ruby craned her neck to peer over the crowds, humming to herself. She started when Ikko spoke up, asking, "How long have you worked for the school?"

"This is my fifth year."

He counted backwards. "So you knew Mizore – I mean, Miss Shirayuki – when she was a student?"

"That I did. Her and the rest of the Newspaper Club."

The picture of that club rose from the mists of his memory. Ikko tried to picture the rest. Mizore stood out, plain as day, but of the rest he knew very little. He could only just remember the extraordinarily ordinary Tsukune, stood at the very centre. "What were they like?"

His loud wondering drew a smile from Ruby. "They're a weird bunch."

"Are they? I saw a photo of them during the festival."

"I saw it, too," Ruby spoke warmly, reminiscing, "That was their second year, just before Morioka graduated. Tsukune took the lead after that."

"Really? I thought he was-" Ikko stopped himself short of blurting 'human'.

She understood, and answered, "It never stopped him from taking part. He was braver than most monsters here."

"He must have been some kinda guy."

"Maybe…" Ruby considered Ikko, looking him up and down. As if to erect some kind of defence, he had stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders, diminishing his stature. His eyes darted occasionally to the crowds, watching passers-by with habitual wariness. "He was no better or worse than you can be, I think. Miss Shirayuki told me how you defended Kia against her."

"That was before I knew what Tayama was going to do," he muttered, bitter.

Ruby frowned. "I can't say I blame you. Being fed on… it sounds horrible. I can't imagine."

He didn't speak. Ruby continued, "But don't let this corrupt your experience, if you can. You've met plenty of good students, Ikko. Plenty of people who want to be your friend. Try and focus on that."

They reached the main thoroughfare of Preternatural Street. Ikko looked around, noticing that although the place seemed as busy as ever, decidedly fewer students wandered between shops. "Most people have gone home?" he asked.

"Yeah, this morning," Ruby confirmed, "Some clubs organise trips or studies, too, so they'll be out and about. Everyone who stays gets free reign, usual rules notwithstanding. So!"

She clapped her hands together and circled Ikko to stand at his front, her cheer determined. "Where shall we start? Are you hungry?"

Both he and his stomach gave a reflexive grumble. Ikko looked down. "Sure."

"I know just the place. Come on!"

They walked straight past the Black Cat – Kia's favourite café – and into a smaller establishment on the corner of one of Preternatural Street's many alleys. The scent of grilled bacon drifted from the old door, held open by a simple block of wood, and beneath that Ikko could smell brewed coffee and the faintest kiss of dust, as if someone had set up a restaurant in an antique shop. Upon entering, his feeling was proved almost entirely right. The furniture ranged from restored antiques to more regal, handcrafted chairs, all pulled together piecemeal to form oddly shaped and angled seating arrangements around tables of myriad size and dimensions. A few patrons looked up at the newcomers, Ikko recognising no faces.

"Are they late?" He heard Ruby murmur to herself, "Ah, no – there they are!"

She waved at someone. Following her gaze, Ikko spied a huddled group at one of the larger tables. It took a moment for him to recognise Susumu Sasahara, junior and president of the Writing Club, beaming and waving back; then Mizore poked her head out from a tall chair facing the wall, spying them both and smiling.

"Did you set this up?" Ikko asked.

"No – Miss Shirayuki recommended that you actually start joining in on club activities, now that you've recovered."

In the wake of all that had transpired, Ikko had forgotten that he had, indeed, signed up to join them. He grinned sheepishly in response to Sasahara, who continued to wave and beckon them over. "Go on," urged Ruby, "Before her arm falls off."

"You're not coming?"

"No – no, I have work." Ruby sighed. "No rest for the wicked."

She patted his shoulder, pushing him gently forward. "Enjoy Golden Week, Ikko."

He shuffled forward, and once he was in earshot Susumu finally calmed down, returning to her seat. She wore her dark hair up in her knot, eyes bright and filled with the same joy that spread a broad grin across a round face. "How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Better?" Ikko looked down at his chest, as if searching for proof this was the case. The subtle matters of the soul, he guessed, made it so that he didn't feel much different than usual, though Ruby insisted that would be proof enough. "So I'm told, anyway."

He navigated into the only open chair, briefly greeting Nori and Naoko, the two freshmen members. Naoko's chair looked like it was swallowing her whole, given her size. Her tiny legs dangled off the end of the seat, kicking contentedly. Her enormous eyes brimmed with excitement. Nori, ever her reverse, busied himself with a book, one earphone in and perfectly happy with letting the conversation pass him by. He looked up at Ikko only when Naoko leaned to one side, reaching with some difficulty to slap him on the shoulder. "Sushi! Say hello!"

He didn't; he simply looked at Ikko, nodded, and went back to his book.

"We all heard what happened," Susumu announced, frowning slightly. Ikko made to shoot Mizore and accusatory glare, but the president cut him off quickly, "The whole school has. Someone overheard that Yakumaru guy telling Miss Shirayuki about Tayama's place on the Notables list and, well… Yokai loves itself some gossip."

"Sasahara wanted to come see you," Naoko piped up, "But Miss said she couldn't. You've been locked up there all by yourself?"

"More or less."

A waiter came over to take Ikko's order, leaving a fresh pot of coffee and taking the empty one sitting on the table. He helped himself as they spoke. "The main thing," Susumu declared, "Is that you're okay."

He made a non-committal noise, not wanting to comment. Ikko caught Mizore's eyes as she checked her phone. She offered a tiny smile, missed by all but him. "And now that we're all here," Sasahara pressed on, "Well, all of us that are staying at Yokai, we can finally start acting like a club!"

"How?" Ikko blurted. His breakfast arrived, and his body reminded him with a sharp pang just how hungry he was. An early start and a long walk left him running on fumes. He took to his toast and bacon with a delighted noise.

"Think of it like an icebreaker," Mizore explained, "A chance for you all to properly connect with each other. It's not quite as fancy as a club trip, but…"

"A day out is a day out!" Naoko squeaked, bouncing in her chair. "I always wondered what this place was like!"

"Oh, right!" Sasahara beamed, "You two won't have been here before, will you?"

"Miss got permission!"

"Just this once," Mizore raised a finger, "Make the most of it, alright?"

Nori shuffled, making himself more comfortable. His expression, not much different from his usual frown by Ikko's telling, seemed to say that he considered 'making the most' of today to be spending it anywhere but in present company.

"We're not writing, are we?" Ikko inquired, concerned, "I didn't pack anything for that. I've only got…" He felt the brown envelope on his lap, "Well, me."

"No writing today," Sasahara confirmed, "We're just here to get to know each other. Check out a couple of the stores, have a chat – really, it's just an excuse to get off campus for a bit. Golden Week can be a bit dull for first-years." She stuck her tongue out, cheeky.

"How come you two didn't go home?" Ikko asked.

Nori shrugged; Naoko was more forthcoming. "Mom and Dad are off on a vacation. I wanted to stay!"

"You… wanted to?"

She nodded, silver hair agitated like a spider's web on a swaying branch. "I love it here, and I've got Susu and Sushi. What's not to love?"

"Susu and Sushi," Ikko parroted. The former giggled at her nickname, reaching across to scruff Naoko's hair; the latter grunted. "What am I, then?"

"Uh…" She paused, green eyes drooping, brow furrowed in thought.

"How would she know?" Mizore quipped. "You've spent all of a couple of hours with her."

"No no, I got it! I got it!" Naoko thrust a finger towards Ikko, a display that would have been more dramatic if she wasn't so tiny, "You're Gloomy!"

Ikko spluttered, coffee dribbling down his chin. He hurried to pat it dry as he stared at Naoko. "I'm _what_?"

Mizore covered her mouth. Sasahara laughed. "You do have that look about you," she teased, making a mockery of his current slouch and frown. Seeing it on another person made Ikko flush, and he retreated into his breakfast with a feeble protest of, "I'm not Gloomy…"

"Well, now's your chance to prove us wrong, eh?" Sasahara fought through her laughter. Even Nori cracked a smirk, looking up from his book.

Ikko's indignance swelled in him, shaping a strong desire to prove Sasahara wrong. It straightened his back, and he took a rather fierce bite of bacon, finishing his meal. "I guess that's challenge accepted?" she asked, winking easily his way, "How about we get started?"

"Shtarted?" he mumbled through the last mouthful.

"This _is_ an icebreaker. We have to do something to introduce ourselves, don't we?"

His indignance switched with startling rapidity to dread. Thoughts of his first introduction upon transferring sprang to mind, causing Ikko to shrink back in his seat. "I suppose so…"

"I'll start." Sasahara stood up, placing a gloved hand on her chest. "Susumu Sasahara, junior. I've been writing since I could hold a pen, mostly poetry-"

Oh, god. Ikko's thoughts rang. What did they expect him to say? He looked desperately to Mizore, who was so busy glaring at her phone that she didn't notice.

"-and I look forward to writing with you all!" Sasahara bowed her head, the scrape of her chair jolting Ikko back to reality.

Naoko clapped, bouncing off her chair to clamber up on it, so she could be seen by the group. "I'm Naoko! Naoko Banno! I love writing stories, and I love new places!"

She bowed fully, silver hair streaming over her face, then whipping violently back as she straightened. "That's it!" She exclaimed, dropping back into a sitting position.

Nori scowled, snapping his book shut and unhooking his earphone. "Nori Aiba. Historical non-fiction. Hi."

Ikko felt momentarily relieved. Nori had set the bar so low that even he could manage something better. He silently thanked him as Nori looked across to Mizore, as if willing the social spotlight to move by sheer, resentful force.

Mizore clicked her tongue, locking her phone. "I'm your teacher!"

"Oh, come on…" sang Sasahara, "Where's the fun in that?"

Mizore rolled her eyes, and reluctantly stood up. She buried her hands in a large hoodie she'd thrown over an off-shoulder t-shirt, hiding behind her hair. She painted as un-teacherlike an appearance as Ikko thought possible. "Miss Shirayuki, graduate teacher. I write short stories and journalism pieces when I get a spare moment."

Ikko tipped his head. He'd never seen Mizore write. She'd spent most of his time watching him either nose-deep in textbooks or glued to his console. As she slumped back into her chair, all eyes turned towards Ikko – all except Nori who, sensing the opportunity, had retreated into his book. "Now you, Akada," Sasahara pointed to him, "What do you like to write?"

"Oh! Uh." He staggered from his chair, kicking it backwards with a loud scrape. "Uh… Hi. Ikko Akada, second-year. I'm… I've never written anything before."

Silence. Nori looked once more up from his book, this time out of apparent curiosity. "I-I mean," he spluttered, "Not that I don't want to! I do! I just, I've never had the chance or the reason to, and I thought it'd be fun, so Kia- Tayama, I mean – Tayama and I signed up…"

Another, longer, heavier silence. Ikko's shoulders slumped, and he hid his frown by throwing himself back into his seat and pretending to drain an already empty cup. Mizore stowed her phone, exhaling. She seemed less phased by the change in his name usage than Ruby. Sasahara regarded Ikko with – what was that, pity? His stomach knotted to think on it. Nori's scowl seemed to deepen, and Naoko's bubbliness muted for a breath. "We can't change what's happened," Mizore announced, "But we're not here to mope. Welcome to the club, Ikko – how 'bout we get moving?"

"Oh!" Naoko clapped. She forgot her frown the quickest. "Yes! I want to see what the clothing stores are like!"

"How would they be any different than regular stores?" Nori grumbled.

"It's a start, at least," Mizore shrugged, "How about it?"

Sasahara agreed and Ikko, feeling awkward about dredging up such a troubled topic, said nothing in protest. They paid and left, heading down the road – Sasahara in front, Mizore and Ikko at the rear, and the youngest between them. Naoko kept talking to Nori, oblivious to the earphones that deafened him.

Mizore continued to check her phone periodically, more frequently than he'd ever seen someone check their phone before. Hers reminded him to keep an eye out for a tech store, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. "Waiting for a call?"

"No." Mizore's reply came sharp and fast. Ikko flinched.

"Something wrong? You were fine yesterday."

She jammed her phone into her jeans pocket and buried her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "This is the last thing I need right now," she snapped, "Let me focus on them."

Ikko winced, but did as asked. His curiosity burned all the brighter – what could possibly have changed her mood so suddenly, and what did it have to do with her phone?

Their first hours of Golden Week passed in a flash. Sasahara and Naoko delighted in the department stores, whilst Nori and Ikko watched on with feigned interest and Mizore distracted herself with whatever she was dealing with. In the third store of its kind – Ikko wondered how Preternatural Street seemed to just _keep going_ – he spied a familiar menu on Nori's phone.

"Is there a new gacha?" Ikko found himself asking. Nori flinched, like the word 'gacha' were a white-hot poker Ikko brandished his way. He apologised. "Sorry, sorry! It's just – I haven't played since my phone broke… Can I see?"

He may as well have been an oncoming truck, for all the surprise Nori showed in the face of Ikko's curiosity. "Sure," he mumbled, turning the screen so Ikko could better see. He huddled close, "You play?"

"I did…" Ikko tentatively reached out to swipe the phone, checking the new gachas. "There's only a day left on that one. Man…"

Nori continued to stare as Ikko pulled back to check the envelope with his money in. When he asked what it was, Ikko explained, adding, "I've got no idea where to start looking. I had that old phone for years, and I've not had a chance to do any research…"

"Get mine," Nori answered, showing Ikko the model number on the back, "It's a year old. You could get it pretty cheap, if you know where to look. Runs most games pretty well."

"Huh." Ikko examined the phone. For the first time, hidden mostly by his thick, black hair, he saw Nori's mouth twitch up at the corners.

"Want to try a few stages?"

He felt a surge of gratitude as Nori proffered his phone, eagerly taking it with a rushed word of thanks. He hadn't played in ages, and to be connected now on the pretence of a technical demo only increased his excitement. It was such that he barely noticed Naoko and Sasahara calling for his attention; only a light tap from Nori brought him back. Smiling, thanking him again, they returned to the main street.

"What were you smirking at?" Sasahara asked. Their formation changed slightly as she pulled him to the front with conversation.

"Oh, uh-" Ikko cast an eye back to the rest of the group, "Nori was recommending phones. I think I know which one I want."

"Is that right?" She arched her eyebrows, appraising. "From what Naoko tells me, it's not every day that he opens up."

"Well, we play the same games, so…" he trailed off. Sasahara smiled.

"Good – that's good. I was wondering when I'd see you smile."

"What?"

"You've had this," she pulled a face, frown deep and brow knitted, "Slapped on your face ever since you got here. Are you worried about Tayama?"

"No." He replied immediately. "Why should I be?"

"Hm… No, I guess you wouldn't be. Sorry."

"She," he looked around, then lowered his voice, "She _fed_ on me. What am I supposed to do, forgive her?"

Sasahara tipped her head to one side, thoughtful. She untied her hair as they walked, letting it flow like chocolate ribbons. "For a… y'know." She mouthed the word 'human'. "It must be pretty black and white, but for us it's different. Some monsters just feed. I never considered that – I mean, the only other human I know who's been fed on is pretty chill about it."

"You know someone else?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, "Tsukune. His girlfriend, Moka, was on the Notables list."

"Moka?"

"Moka Akashiya. She's a grad."

He vaguely remembered a pretty girl holding the unremarkable Tsukune's hand. "She fed on him? And he was okay with it?"

"She did – does, even. I think. They've been doing it for years."

The idea of allowing Tayama to suck out portions of his soul on tap made him shudder uncomfortably. "I don't get it. I couldn't."

"I suppose you'd have to ask him to get it, but he is." Sasahara shrugged again. "Anyway – I'm glad you're moving on, in some way. Finding new friends. Mizore was worried."

"She was?" Ikko span, walking backwards for a moment. He spied Mizore still scowling at her phone.

"Yeah – she was the one who got Ruby to bring you out. Said you'd been cooped up long enough."

He spun back around. Realising what Sasahara's familiarity meant, he asked the question before it registered in his social conscious. "What happened between Tsukune and Mizore?"

She laughed, step faltering. "Straight to the point, huh? You noticed?"

"It's not exactly subtle."

"You're not wrong." She continued to laugh through her words. The Street came to a slow end, stores becoming sparser, the cobbled path giving more to Yokai Academy's wasteland. "It's not my place to say – and I sincerely don't recommend you asking Mizore that, either. But if you figured out what's there, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what caused it."

Ikko listened carefully, trying to pick apart her words. The group veered off to the left, towards a tech store at the very end of the street. Glass cabinets lined with phones of every shape and size – even a few flip-phones, the kind Ikko had only seen in older films. He hastened away from the group and immediately began searching for Nori's model, scanning price tags and stands until he found it.

It didn't take long. One seemed to magically appear in his periphery as he searched, and when Nori caught up Ikko had already made his way inside to purchase it. Within ten minutes, he had a phone and a SIM, and powered it on with a gleeful sigh. "I've missed this…"

Naoko beamed. Nori nodded – Sasahara looked down the street. "We should probably make our way back before it gets too late in the day. All this walking's worn me out…"

Ikko readily agreed, too happy with his purchase to care much for anything else. He flicked quickly through the settings, logged into his profile, and was just about to install his selection of games when – _crash_.

The phone nearly flew from his hand. He staggered backwards, laughing at himself for walking into what seemed to be a wall in the very middle of the street. "Ikko!" Mizore shouted.

"I'm fine!" he called back, looking up. He saw a white shirt, and began apologising to whomever he'd mistaken for a wall. "Sorry, I didn't see where I was-"

The man's face swam into vision. A giant of a man, with arms as thick as Ikko was wide. He'd barely moved, barely registered that Ikko had collided with him – in face, it seemed like Ikko drawing attention to it was the first he heard of the incident, for he looked down at the tinier man with a grunt. "Akada."

"Akada?" Rang a voice from behind the great trunk. Ikko started. He recognised that voice.

He stared, a horrid chill twisting around his spine as Masumi Yakumaru poked his head out from behind his friend.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Life did its thing!**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Nobody spoke. The apologies Ikko spouted caught in his throat, causing an unnaturally forced gasp. He gawped at Masumi, who drew himself to full height and stepped properly out from behind his friend. "If it isn't Akada. We were wondering when we might see you again. How're you feeling?"

The calmness pervading his tone, the sincerity with which Masumi formed his words, threw Ikko even further off-balance. "Yakumaru?"

"That's me," he smiled, sweeping back his platinum blond hair, "Thought we'd enjoy the time off with a quick shopping trip. Not every day you can spend so much time browsing, hm?"

Ikko opened and closed his mouth, taking a step back. To his right, he heard footsteps, and suddenly Sasahara stood at his side. "You okay, Akada?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"You're not hurt, are you?" Masumi asked, "I know Judo's a bit on the big side, but you should really watch where you're walking."

Judo grunted. Ikko retreated a little further, abashed. "Who might you be?" Masumi asked, turning towards Sasahara.

"Sasahara," replied she, looking concernedly between the two, "You're Yakumaru. Masumi Yakumaru?"

"That's me. How would you – ah, of course. Miss Shirayuki!"

The rest of the Writing Club joined them, Naoko and Nori behind Mizore. All three seemed confused. Masumi's smile became more cordial as he bowed his head, deferential towards the teacher. Ikko noticed that one of his hands moved awkwardly, held behind his back as if restrained. "I trust the matter with Tayama was resolved?"

"That will be up to Tayama," Mizore answered, her voice terse, her arms folded over her chest, "And as much as the Academy appreciates your assistance, Yakumaru – it's not really your business to worry about."

"Of course." He didn't miss a beat. "We heard about you, Akada. I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I'm glad to see you up and about so soon after the attack."

He couldn't bring himself to accept Masumi's sincerity. It seemed too sudden, especially after enduring the glaring, the snide comments, his thinly-masked distaste for Kia's friendship with him. Or had that all been imagined? After all, Masumi had been the one to advise Mizore of the dangers she posed, according to Sasahara.

She apparently didn't need to sense the doubt that began to take hold, for Sasahara spoke next. "I thought you were with the Newspaper Club? Aren't they out on a trip to the human world?"

"Yes, well." Masumi looked quickly behind him, to whatever restrained his arm. "We decided to pass on the Newspaper Club. All that running around is exhausting, and we're second-years, now."

Ikko wondered who Masumi meant by 'we'. After all, this Judo, who continued to provide a wall between him and Masumi, belonged to the Karate Club, didn't he? "We?" he asked, quietly.

"Oh, apologies!" Masumi chuckled, his eyes not matching the warmth of the noise. "She's a bit shy. Come on."

The woman hiding behind Masumi, gripping his hand tightly, moved out from her shelter. A sickening bolt of cold shot from Ikko's brain to the very pit of his stomach as he recognised Etsuko, fiery red hair cut dreadfully short into a pixie cut, eyes muted and smile placid. "Etsuko?" he breathed.

"Hi, Akada," she said, waving gently with her free hand, "Good to see you're okay."

Ikko shook his head. No, this couldn't be Etsuko. Not this demure, smitten girl. The Etsuko he knew, who Kia knew, wore a bright smile – and, more importantly, she would never drop the Newspaper Club she so loved. His mind swam, registering their linked hands, the faint flush of pink on cheeks usually framed by gorgeous strands of flame. Her every move, her every sound seemed disconnected from his memory.

He found his breath shortening. "What have you done to her?" he mumbled, trying to focus on Masumi.

"Done to her? That's an odd question," Masumi tipped his head, "I don't think I like the implication, Akada."

"But she's-" Ikko started, "Etsuko wouldn't – you haven't quit, have you?"

Etsuko nodded. "I have," she confirmed, "It's too much work. We'll find a new Club when the break's over. Together."

She squeezed Masumi's hand, and the adoration that filled her eyes, as if the gesture contained a shot of pure affection, made Ikko feel sick. Sasahara's hand tightened around his shoulder. "Come on, Ikko," she whispered, "Let's go."

He didn't move. His feet rooted to the ground, shock planting him firmly where he was. Sasahara moved him more insistently, causing him to stumble. "Come _on_ , Ikko!"

"I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us," Masumi said, cutting across Sasahara's efforts to remove Ikko from the situation, "I feel bad – I do, really. I'd hoped you would have realised the danger without me having to reveal what she was. If you'd like, I would appreciate it if we could start afresh as friends."

Masumi put his free hand out towards Ikko, proffering a handshake. Ikko stared at the appendage, eyes wild, palms clamming up with cold sweat. A buzzing filled his ears. "Akada?" he prompted.

"Akada!" Mizore's sharp call cut through the noise. He started, jumping away from Masumi and looking towards her. "Sasahara said it's time to go. Weren't you listening?"

Her words seemed oddly forced, her eyes filled with a bizarre emotion he couldn't recognise. He nodded, shakily, and followed Sasahara away from the group; Masumi watching him leave, eyes unblinking; Etsuko pressing closer to her boyfriend, whispering something in his ear.

Ikko dimly registered their return to Yokai Academy's main campus. He followed Sasahara's back as they turned away from the dormitories, and a few minutes later he was sitting in an empty classroom – the Writing Club's clubroom. He blinked, as if waking from a dream.

Sasahara stared at him, her face filled with concern. She had removed her gloves, and her the tip of her index finger pressed gently to his forehead. It did not feel like a human finger, too soft in texture but too powerful in force, feeling almost like the paw of a cat. He frowned, coming to his senses. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer, looking to Mizore. He noticed Naoko and Nori's absence. "Where are they?"

"I sent them back to the dorms," Mizore answered, distracted. Her arms folded over her chest, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Su?"

"He's as confused as you are. I don't know – Etsuko, was it?"

"Etsuko Yanase."

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Ikko blurted, his frustration at being left out bubbling over, dispelling the last of the shock.

"You saw what's going on, Ikko," Mizore said, looking at him, "Etsuko's with Masumi."

Etsuko's muted eyes and hollow smile sprang to his mind's eye. "That couldn't be her," he mumbled.

"It was. That was Yanase," Mizore sighed, "But she's acting weird. I don't know her that well, but she's mouthy as anything."

"Love does strange things," Sasahara offered, shrugging, "Maybe Masumi's her first boyfriend, and she's shy about being seen like that in public?"

Mizore made an unconvinced noise. She chewed her thumbnail. "Ikko, you know her best. Would you say that's like her?"

"No!" Ikko jumped out of his seat. "Not a chance. She wouldn't quit Newspaper Club – she loves her journalism. She was showing me news sites out in the monster world, wouldn't shut up about the club when we visited…"

Mizore hummed. Her brow furrowed. "He did offer what he knew about Tayama," Sasahara said, "If he is after something, I don't understand why he'd do that. He seemed genuine when he saw that Ikko was okay…"

Ikko looked from Sasahara to Mizore, confused. "You think he's after something?"

"I don't know," Sasahara said, "But your reaction, Ikko – are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine! What about Etsuko? If Masumi's done something to her-"

"We don't know that he has," Mizore interrupted, shaking her head.

"You were just saying-"

"I just wanted to confirm that it's weird," Mizore cut across him again. Ikko balled his fists, "And it is. I agree – but there's no evidence of wrongdoing. She looked like she wanted to be there."

Ikko struggled to digest the abrupt end to their club meeting. For something to do, he checked his phone. The downloads were mostly complete. "Why'd you pull me away?"

"I wanted to be sure." Mizore explained, "You're only human, Ikko. If something kicked off because of either of you… I wanted to get you out of there."

"But Etsuko-"

"What were you going to do?" she asked, gaze narrowing, "Start a fight in the middle of Preternatural Street? Keep on spouting accusations?"

Ikko opened his mouth – then stopped, unclenching his fists. He hung his head. Mizore continued. "If she's behaving oddly, we need proof. If she's not, you're just going to have to deal with it, _and even then_." She raised a silencing hand, reminded Ikko of the headmaster. She channelled a teacher's authority. "Even then… you've got no place in dealing with that. It's the staff's job."

Sasahara watched Ikko's expression fall, smiling understandably. "I guess you really have grown up," she said to Mizore, who looked affronted, "But she's right, Ikko. It's not our place. Students shouldn't go meddling in problems with the school."

At this, Mizore clicked her tongue. She changed the subject, directing her attention towards Ikko's new phone. "How is it?"

"O-oh… uh, fine. Fine." Ikko mumbled. He tried fruitlessly to stamp down the frustration, the indignation.

"Give it here. You need mine and Ruby's number."

He handed it over, and after a few moments of quick tapping he had two contacts – Mizore S., Ruby T. – in his phone. Sasahara offered hers, too.

Renewing her teacher voice, Mizore looked Ikko straight in the eyes. "Don't get involved in this, Ikko. You promised me you'd stay out of trouble, didn't you?"

He sincerely regretted that promise, now that she'd reminded him of it, but nodded meekly and stuck his hands in his pocket. "Good. Both of you should probably head back to the dorms. It's almost time for dinner."

She left him and Sasahara in uncomfortable silence. Sasahara sighed, looking around. "She's no fun."

"Eh?"

"Used to be we were the first lot in trouble's way," Sasahara sighed, "And she was even worse before I knew her."

"What do you mean?"

Again, she didn't speak straight away, instead taking a pair of gloves from her back pocket and slipping them on. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Starving, actually."

"Sasahara-"

"Didn't I tell you to call me Su?" she quipped, "You've not been away that long. C'mon, let's go back to Preternatural Street. I'm aching for a burger."

"But Miss-"

"She said we should 'probably' get back," Su dressed Mizore's words in air quotes, "We're free to get what we want – it's Golden Week, you're a second year, I'm a third. C'mon."

Ikko didn't move. He was getting quite fed up of people talking over him. Su looked over her shoulder at him, a few hairs stray from her knot, framing a smirk. "I'll answer your questions?" she offered in a singsong tone.

He sighed, keeping his hands in his pockets as he followed. For fear of bumping once more into Masumi, the idea of Preternatural Street did not fill him with joy, but his curiosity kept him quiet and they saw surprisingly few students on this second trip out. Su led the way to a burger joint, more cheerily decorated than the antique café they'd started the day in. It was still reasonably early afternoon – not that the grim clouds ever gave any indication of time until the light failed and plunged the protected world into night.

They took a seat in the furthest booth after ordering, Su sitting opposite. She untied her hair again, loosing the surprising volume from its wrap with a relieved sigh. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's… nice?" Ikko answered, nonplussed.

Su arched a brow. "Yakumaru's nice?"

"What? No! I meant your hair."

"That's not what I was asking."

"I get that now!"

Su grinned. "So…?"

Ikko made a face. "Miz- Miss Shirayuki didn't want me to go poking."

"Whatever _Mizore_ wanted," Su enunciated her name, "I can see it on your face. I know that feeling. You don't want to let it rest."

He thought of Etsuko, and how bizarrely she'd behaved. "I don't like it," he murmured, leaning forward, "Etsuko didn't like Yakumaru, and he's K- Tayama's ex. It's a bit soon, isn't it?"

"Some people move that fast."

"Maybe, but then there's her quitting the Newspaper Club, and her hair…"

"Her hair?"

Ikko nodded. "Etsuko loved her hair long. She wouldn't just cut it. Maybe… maybe Yakumaru's threatening her? Making her do these things?"

Su chewed her lip. Ikko felt his frustration melt away, directed towards a more productive discussion. "It's easy enough to find that out," she said, "But she seemed perfectly happy. I don't know…"

"It is?"

"Yeah. I can find that out myself." Su waggled her fingers in demonstration. Ikko grunted, confused. "Oh, right. I never told you. I'm," she took a moment to peer over his head, looking to the other patrons, then shuffled from her seat to the one next to him in order to whisper, "I'm a Satori."

Ikko continued to stare. If she intended for this to clarify matters, it had failed spectacularly. "That's what I am," she continued, "And we're contact telepaths. I can tell what you're thinking – what you're feeling – with a touch."

He blinked. "So when you touched me before?"

"I was checking to see if you were alright. It was like you were in shock, the way you were behaving."

"Oh…" Ikko cast his eyes down, fixing on the gap in the seating cushion between them, "I didn't know what to do. It was all so sudden."

"I don't blame you – but that's besides the point. I can find out if she's being threatened with a touch."

"You can?"

Su nodded. "It's a nice, specific question and a simple enough feeling. Stress is really easy, as is fear. You remember how I figured out what you were?"

"Yeah, we barely touched."

"Same principle. A graze is all it'll take. It'll probably have to be after Golden Week, though. I doubt we'll catch her alone."

"Not even in the dorms?" Ikko suggested.

Su hummed, raising her eyebrows appreciatively. "Good point. I'll try, and I'll text you."

Ikko smiled, but it faltered as a thought possessed him. He asked, quieting as their food arrived. "Why are you doing this?"

"You're a member of my club, aren't you?" Su asked, digging in, "Why shouldn't I help?"

"Mizore-"

"Mizore's a teacher," she shrugged dismissively, "She has to say those things. Must be in her contract."

Reassured, Ikko took to his meal with heartened vigour. As they ate in comfortable silence, he thought through what they had discussed. If Etsuko was being threatened, they'd need proof – and a human confronting a monster seemed like a terrible idea. What if she wasn't? He asked.

"I don't know…" Su mused, "You're the one with all the ideas."

"It's your power we're using," he countered, "Unless…"

"Unless…?"

"What kinds of powers do other monsters have?"

She took a few bites of her burger. "Depends on the species. Usually only one or two – control of a thing, physical enhancement, shapeshifting… there's too many to say with any certainty."

"Is there a way to find out what species Masumi is?"

"That's a little trickier. I can pick up streams of thought, but questions take prompting, and time. We'd have to sit him down and ask him, which is very much against the rules."

"Isn't there like a… an encyclopaedia? A book with all the species in?"

Su laughed. "What is this, a video game? There might be some human literature lying around, but we're people, too. We don't spend a lot of time cataloguing each others' habits. Most communities are pretty insular."

"Hmm…"

"You could always try folklore, I guess – but there's so many stories out there, you'd spend your whole life separating truth from fact and even still, there's no way of confirming it for sure without asking him." Su pushed her gloved fingers through her hair. "I reckon we start off with Etsuko. That's enough to be getting on with – but _after_ Golden Week, okay? Unless I get a chance in the dorms."

"Will we have that long?" Ikko asked.

"For what? It looks like they're dating. If she looks like she's in trouble, then we can maybe ask Mizore or Ruby to make a move…"

He didn't like the idea of waiting for something bad to happen. After all their talk, it left him with an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. Ikko folded his arms. "There's not much else we can do," murmured Su, placing a hand on his shoulder with a comforting smile, "She looks happy. Until we know better, let's assume that she is. He's not hurting you with it, is he?"

"No…"

"Exactly. Focus on enjoying Golden Week. Get to know Naoko and Nori. Get to know me, too!" She winked. Ikko flushed, busying himself with the last of his burger to the tune of her teasing giggle.

They spent the last of the meal talking about other things. Su offered to help Ikko kickstart his writing after a day off, to which he happily agreed. "We're going to be doing club activities, anyway," she explained, "Might as well start off with something we can all get in on."

Ikko's phone buzzed. He checked it.

Mizore: Where are you?

He cursed, startling Su. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah – uh, we should probably head back.

He showed her the message, which drew out a grimace. "Right you are."

They shared an uneasy look, which Ikko tried to distract from with a nervous chuckle. He sidled out of the booth after her. "Listen, uh- Sasahara? Su?"

"Hm?"

She turned. Ikko looked at his feet. "Thank you for this. I feel a lot better."

Her tone warmed. She patted him again, this time on the head. "It'll be okay, Ikko. We'll figure it out – but first, you have a guardian to placate."

On the way back, he sent a hasty 'OMW back', to which Mizore did not respond.

By the time they got back, the impenetrable, starless dark of Yokai had consumed the grim sky. Su and Ikko navigated by streetlights, then the light of the campus buildings as they made their way back to the dormitories, more than once slowing as Ikko tripped on an errant root breaking up the cracked cobbles. He went left, she right, and he took his stairs two at a time until his body demanded he slow down. Mizore still refused a response to his text, and he didn't see Ruby on his room's corridor.

He saw a sliver of light coming through one of the doors that he vaguely recalled as belonging to the owner of the other cupboards in his kitchen, but thought no more than that as he hastened to unlock his own room.

The light was on, and Mizore perched at the end of his bed, her knees drawn up, a book resting against her legs, and a pen in her mouth. She looked up, briefly. "Where've you been?"

"With Su." She arched a brow at his use of the name. "She treated me to a burger. We didn't fancy the canteen."

"Huh." She kept her attention on the book – a textbook, he saw as he drew closer – and didn't budge, even when Ikko sat down on the side of the bed. "Did you have fun?"

"This is normally the part where you chew me out, isn't it?"

Mizore looked up. Her look withered the brief flash of indignance that summoned his retort. She frowned. "You were out with Su. I never told you to go anywhere, just that dinner would be soon."

"That's true…" Ikko deflated. "Are you studying?"

"Nothing else to do whilst you were out." She marked her page and snapped it shut. "Exams are soon."

"I thought you were a grad?"

"Yeah, in Lit," Mizore sighed, "Not as a teacher. I've got to get qualified."

"You're teaching at a school for monsters, and you're unqualified?"

"Not _unqualified_ ," Mizore corrected, quick, "Just on probation. It'll be a problem if I don't pass this week."

"Your exam's this week?"

"Yes, yes, I know. I know…" She sighed.

Ikko connected the dots with surprising speed. "So when you told me to stay out of trouble this week-"

"It wasn't just because of my exams!" she exclaimed, "Only… partially."

Another sigh. Ikko chuckled. As she looked back to her book, he reached for his controller and headphones. "You've been busy," he noted.

"A little."

"A little?"

She looked weary as she tore her attention, once more, from her textbook. She snapped the textbook shut. "A lot."

"I don't know how you cope. I mean, I thought I had it bad with Kotsubo, but you." He counted them off on his finger. "Exams, teaching, _and_ a human to babysit?"

"Babysit's a strong word." Mizore pushed her hair up, raking her fringe back. "But yes, Ikko. Thank you for summing that up."

"Sorry."

One final sigh. She discarded the book and held out a hand. "Gimme."

"What?"

"Gimme. I want to play."

"Shouldn't you be studying?"

"No. Yes." Breath. "No."

The memories of exams prior to joining Yokai Academy, which had since superseded all frames of reference for stressful situations, drew an empathetic smile. He handed the controller over and took out his phone. "Thank you," Mizore whispered, shuffling over and changing game.

Ikko unlocked his phone, drew back on the bed so that he rested against the headboard, and started to play. It was like being welcomed home, and Nori's recommendation of the phone served him well. He made a note to thank him later. He looked to the discarded textbook on the floor only once, when he wondered how hard it must be to juggle his survival with the rest of her life.

He wanted to ask about Tsukune. His conversation with Su had rekindled his curiosity, stoking the embers buried by the rest of his Yokai life, and in this moment of idleness it seemed like the perfect thing to ask, to re-engage with Mizore and start to piece it together in his mind. He watched her as he contemplated it, mouth half-open. Her eyes softly lit by the shifting light of the screen, strands of untidy blue hair drifting back and forth with her steady breathing, the tiniest smile creeping up her lips.

He stowed the question for another time – but not fast enough, for she caught him looking and arched a brow. "You okay there?"

"What?" Ikko made a poor show of concentrating on his phone. "Yeah, just – just trying to remember a password for this… this game…"

"I see." She produced a lollipop and offered it. "Does it bother you?"

"Bother me?"

"Me being here. I can hang outside, if you want." Her eyes flicked to the door.

"No! No, no, it's fine. I don't mind. Can't be that relaxing out there."

"I'd get more studying done," she admitted, sounding wistful.

"You would." Ikko nodded. "But sometimes you just gotta… not."

She grinned, heading straight back to her game. Warmth sparked in his cheeks as he went back to his, and the night rolled on in the most comfortable silence he'd felt for a very long time.


	18. Chapter 18

Susumu's inspiration – or Mizore's direction – saw the Writing Club meet regularly over the next two days of Golden Week for a selection of activities that, Ikko suspected, were designed to keep him as far from the temptation of investigating Masumi Yakumaru as possible. They spent a great deal of time holed up in the clubroom, some kind of music on someone's phone, pens or laptops out, writing whatever prompt sprang to the senior's mind.

It worked. The novelty of writing, and learning how to write well, forced all other thoughts from Ikko's mind, helped along by Masumi and Etsuko's complete absence from the campus. Not only did this serve to keep Ikko well out of harm's way, it also improved Mizore's mood. Frequently did he find her studying, lollipop caught between her teeth, head on the heel of her palm, as the rest of them enjoyed their club. Recalling how quickly she had abandoned her studies that night, Ikko hoped that she would at least keep this up until the exams.

On the third day, he found himself staring blankly at the page below him, inspiration escaping as quickly as he attempted to muster it. To his right sat Nori, tapping away on his phone with music screaming in his ears; to his left Naoko chewed her pen, her face a picture of focus seen only in those rare moments when she stopped talking. Susumu sat opposite, her face lit by her laptop, pushing hair back behind one ear and typing slowly, thoughtfully, with one hand.

Ikko looked back to his paper, and before he could stop himself, his mind wandered back into his memories for the first time that holiday. He huffed, recalling the encounter with Masumi and Etsuko – and after that, Mizore's reprimand.

" _What were you going to do? Start a fight in the middle of Preternatural Street?"_

The words weighed on him more than he knew they should, but in two questions Mizore had cut to the heart of his powerlessness. What _could_ he do? Even if the evidence mounted against Masumi, even if he brought the accusations himself, without the strength to back them up it would all fade into meaninglessness; worse still, Masumi's retribution might just kill him.

He stood. Susumu looked up from her laptop. "Ikko? You okay?"

"Yeah," her gaze flicked down to the blank piece of paper.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I think I've hit my first writer's block." He tried a grin. "I'll take a walk, see how I feel."

"Sure. Don't be too long, 'kay?"

"Mm." He thought he might have to avoid Mizore's eye as he left, but she was absorbed in her textbook.

Out in the corridor, Ikko took out his phone and started to walk. Aimless, for the moment, he opened his contacts and sent a quick text to Ruby.

Me: Where are you?

He looked around, and checked his wrist, where his shikigami slept peacefully. It had been so long since it had activated that he had almost forgotten its existence. The temptation to switch it to find its twin flared, but he put that idea away. This wasn't urgent. Ikko carried on his way, moving through the campus with half his mind on his phone, waiting for Ruby's response.

What did he want from her? He couldn't decide. He wanted _something_ , to be sure, something that Mizore couldn't give him, something that the Writing Club couldn't help with.

Ikko turned, leaning over the railing to look down onto the ground floor. Seeing Yokai without students was almost as unnerving as being surrounded by monsters. Like wandering a mall after dark, after all the customers were done for the day, the absence of life unsettled him. Ikko frowned, closing his eyes.

"Akada?" They snapped open just as quickly. Ikko span in the direction of the strange, girlish voice, coming face-to-pointed-hat with a small girl. He didn't recognise her. She had sparkling blue eyes, alight with intelligence, and wore a cloak over a one-piece dress. "It is Akada, isn't it?"

"Uh- yeah."

"What brings you here?"

"Just out on a walk – sorry, who're you?" Ikko blinked, making sure he was indeed seeing what he was seeing. She looked he picture of a witch, though not at all like Ruby. This girl looked like she'd jumped straight out of a picture book.

"Yukari Sendo. I'm a colleague of Ruby and Mizore's."

"You are?"

"That is why I said that, yes." Yukari tipped her head to one side, causing the witch's hat to wobble unsteadily. "What are you doing out of your clubroom?"

"I just said. Out on a walk. I need to clear my head."

"I see. Is Mizore there?"

"Yeah, she's studying."

"Thank you very much." She bowed, causing another ungainly wobble, then turned and left.

Ikko's phone buzzed in his pocket, prompting him to blurt, "Wait – Miss Sendo?"

She looked back. "Oh my. Just Yukari, please. I'm far too young for Miss."

"Sorry – Yukari? Wait, how old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Fif-what?"

"Fif. Teen." She seemed to delight in his flabbergasted gawping, but didn't revel in it too long. "You had a question?"

"Y-yes, sorry. Um. You… you know about me, right?"

"I do."

"So you know I'm a-"

"I do."

Ikko paused. His next question didn't want to be asked. "Is… is there anything I can do to defend myself? Some way I can get stronger?"

Yukari's lips pursed. "Why would you need to defend yourself?"

"Just in case, y'know? I can't rely on people to always have my back. It's not fair."

She sighed, returning to his side at the barrier. She hopped up onto the railing with surprising agility, sitting on it. "Let me speak plain, so as not to lull you into an illusion of confidence. In this world, Ikko, you are a prey animal. Simple as that."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning your place in the food chain is to do your best not to get eaten. By sheer virtue of your numbers, humanity continues to thrive on the outside." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the window, "But in here, the situation is precisely the reverse. There are lots of us, and one of you. Getting stronger won't help you as much as getting smarter, or quicker."

"You're saying I should learn to be a coward?"

"I'm saying that there's no _natural_ way for a human to beat a monster in a fair fight – and monsters don't fight fair."

Ikko deflated. He leaned on his arms, drooping over the railing. "Great."

"My advice is not to worry about it. Ruby and Mizore are both supremely capable women. They'll look after you."

"I don't want to spend these next two years being babysat." He scowled, frustration gurgling like bile in his throat. "I want to look after myself."

"Then stay out of trouble," Yukari said, shrugging in a manner most matter of fact, "Give them that peace of mind."

"You think I go looking for trouble?"

"No, but you certainly don't try hard enough to stave it off, if what Ruby's said is any indication."

Ikko grunted. Yukari hopped off the railing. "I need to see Mizore. Take care of yourself, Akada."

"Thanks." He bit back the rest of his retort, satisfying himself with a muttered curse as he stalked away. His phone buzzed again.

Ruby T.: My room

Ruby T.: What's wrong?

Wishing he hadn't spoken to Yukari, Ikko jammed his phone back into his pocket, ignoring the texts, and stalked down the spiral stairs and out of the campus building. He wandered into the wasteland outside, figuring the shade of a tree would be the perfect place to mope until he was summoned back to the clubroom.

It didn't take long to find a large, withered skeleton of a tree, whose twigs grew with forbidding sharp thorns and whose trunk was as ragged as it was gnarled. Ikko sat on a raised root, brought his knees up, and sighed. He chastised himself for asking such a silly question. What had he expected, asking if there was anything a human could do? Prey either found ingenious defences or escaped quicker than the predator could chase. He found himself envious of his monstrous friends. If someone bit, they could bite back. Ikko had to rely on their protection, and even then, those that he trusted could easily turn around and mark him as their next meal.

He hung his head, trying to focus on something besides his thoughts. The tree creaked, ancient and unyielding in a gust of wind. "What can I do…?" he intoned, "It's not like I can _outrun_ them, and smarts won't do a damn thing…"

"You could try talking to them."

He jumped. Ruby's voice came from his left; he found her reclining at his side, eyes closed. "Black showed me where you are." She said, showing him her wrist. "You picked a good spot."

"I did?"

"We witches are attuned to nature," she explained, "It's calming to be so near places like this. Helps me focus."

"Maybe you could pass some of that my way."

Ruby smiled. She finally opened her eyes, pink warm and smile kind. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ikko found that his voice was sharper than he expected it to be, still laden with his frustrations. He apologised, but Ruby only shook her head.

"It's okay. Well, if nothing's wrong – what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted a change of pace from the Writing Club," he lied, "I've been writing for two days straight. I don't know how they do it."

"Hmm…" Ruby thrummed, thoughtful, "Alright. Why don't you come help me prepare your masking spell?"

"Eh?"

"When I'm stressed, I do something productive to help clear my head." Ruby extended a hand, offering to help him stand.

"Who says I'm stressed?"

"Ikko," she fixed him with a knowing stare, "It's written all over your face."

Ruby's room was decorated more normally than he expected. Ikko thought he would find hanging ivy and incense burning, but instead the room was simply furnished with a bed, kitchenette, a table for dining, and a small workbench. It was here that he found what he thought he'd see; jars and herbs, planters full of bizarrely coloured plants in various states of bloom. "Well, come in." Ruby invited him, gesturing. "Wash your hands first."

He did so, looking around the room. The witch was already drying her hands, so he hurried to follow suit. "I'll need to apply the finishing touches, else it won't work," Ruby explained, "But you can help me prep the ingredients. Let's see…"

She pulled out an old, weathered book from a drawer of the workbench, opened it on one of the dog-eared pages, and began to read. At the same time, she gathered up a mortar and pestle, holding it out to Ikko. "You know how to use one of these?"

"It can't be that hard to figure out," he quipped, staring at the round club and shallow bowl. Ruby laughed.

"No, but there's an art to it. Too hard and you'll ruin the ingredients."

She started picking phials up, seemingly at random. Each of them contained dehydrated specimens of what Ikko presumed were the plants growing around her. He held out the mortar at her instruction, and she poured portions of each phial in, one after the other. "Grind that into a fine powder."

He began the work, sidling into a spot at the workbench next to her. Ikko found a smile – he had no siblings of his own, but he imagined this was what it would be like to have a kooky older sister. "So, let's try this again, shall we?" Ruby asked.

"Hm?"

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh." Thoughts of Yukari's answer stiffened his posture. He began to grind the herbs with greater vigour.

"Careful, careful!" Ruby chided. "Like this."

She took his wrist and guided him through a rolling motion that was much gentler than his aggressive mashing. "Sorry."

"No problem. So…?"

Ikko sighed. He tried to balance his feelings with the delicate work, finding that with his attention divided such, he had to measure his words as carefully as she had measured out the ingredients. "I spoke to Yukari. She said she's a colleague of yours?"

"More than that," she clarified, "Yukari is my kinswoman."

"She's a witch?"

"Did the hat not give it away?" Ikko snorted. "What did you speak to her about?"

"Well… I've been thinking… Maybe I should be doing more to look after myself, you know? I can't rely on you two to always be there."

"That is our job." Ruby answered, smiling. "But I can't fault your logic."

"I-I mean, I know that. But maybe something happens? Maybe someone catches me unawares and I need to, y'know… Maybe I can't escape. So I asked Yukari if there was any way for someone – someone like me to get stronger. To protect himself."

Her smile shifted. Ikko couldn't understand the quiet weight behind her expression. "What did she say?"

"In more words than this, she told me that I'm prey and to get used to it."

Ruby's brow arched, but she sighed and nodded. "She does like her absolutes."

"Is she wrong?" Ikko pressed, suddenly hopeful. Ruby took a moment to check the mixture, then added a strange smelling syrup.

"Mix that in. No, she's not wrong. Not entirely."

"Oh." His shoulders slumped, but he carried on mixing the paste. It began to resemble the masking spell he applied every day. "So that's that, then."

"Not necessarily." She shook her head. "There have been two other humans who attended Yokai, to my knowledge. Both of them learned how to defend themselves."

"How?"

"They took the power of monsters into themselves. An extreme solution, to be sure – for one of them, it happened in a moment of life and death – but it was undeniably effective."

"Humans can do that?"

"Surely you've heard the stories?" Ruby inquired, "Human legends often speak of the way vampires turn others with a bite, or werewolves with a wound. Such things are possible – but risky. Fatally so. It's a miracle either of them survived, and I sincerely doubt you'll find a monster willing to part with their power like that."

"So Tsukune did that?" She nodded. "And – you mentioned another?"

"He was a third year in Tsukune's first. He… had it rough."

"And he took power, to?" Ruby nodded solemnly.

"But we can't use that for you. It's a rare monster who can pass on their power like that, and as I said, it's risky."

"Th-then what can I do? Is there anything?"

"Hm…" Ruby frowned. She furrowed her brow, staring at the mixture. "Maybe… we'll have to see. Let me see the spell?"

She turned the mortar towards her, shifting its contents this way and that. Her eyes flicked up to his. "I want to try something."

"What?"

"I want to see if you can finish this spell."

"Huh? But I'm not a witch. You said-"

"I know what I said, just – trust me, okay? Let's give it a try."

Ruby transferred the mixture to a clear glass tub. It had congealed into a grainy white paste. "Magic's finicky." She explained. "Witches come into it naturally as they grow up, but you're going to need a make a more concerted effort. Let's see…"

As she hummed, tapping her chin, Ikko felt excitement bubble in his chest, beginning to eat away at his frustration. The possibility drew out a smile. "Okay. Here's what we'll do." Ruby began. "I want you to close your eyes and hold out your hand. Whichever's dominant."

Ikko stretched out his left straight in front of him, over the workbench. Ruby turned him to the right. He heard her voice in his ear. "Next, I want you to visualize the very tips of your fingers. Every detail. Fingernails, skin, the ridges of your fingerprint. All of it."

He furrowed his brow with the effort. The pale skin, the fingernails chewed, his fingerprints – what did they look like? Had he ever paid attention to those? "You got it?" Ruby asked.

"I-I think so…?"

"Good. Now, envision the joints. The knuckles…" Ruby guided him through the visualization. When his brow couldn't scrunch any more, Ikko noticed a drop of sweat beading his forehead. He held in his mind a picture of his entire arm, as detailed as he could make it. "How's that?" she asked.

Ikko struggled to find the words without sacrificing some detail of his mental conjuring. "I, uh…"

"Not easy, is it?"

He settled for a sharp shake of his head. Ruby's laugh sang gently off to his right. "We're almost there. Connect that arm to your chest."

There was more? Ikko did as bade, and as he did so he felt his insides shift. Not uncomfortably, but he sensed a change, however minute. "In your chest, you'll feel a… place. Like a well. Draw on that."

He found it. A tiny sliver of something more than his physical body, more than his emotions, more than him. A faint warmth filled his hand, and a fainter still light kissed his eyelids. Ruby inhaled. "There you go. That's it!"

Ikko dared to open his eyes. Hovering in the palm of his hand was a small green light, barely larger than the fingertips he had such difficulty imagining. "Whoa…"

"That," Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder, beaming, "Is your magical power."

"That's mine?" Ikko frowned, disbelieving. "I thought humans couldn't do stuff like this?"

"Some can. I've heard some legends of particularly magical humans, like mages? It depends – you might have some witch blood way back!"

Together, they stared at the tiny mote of magical energy, bobbing back and forth. Ikko's hand trembled. "What next?"

"We place that in the masking spell. Go on!"

Ikko tried to move his hand towards the jar, but the moment he did the mote vanished, puffing out like a stifled flame. "Oh." Ruby murmured, disappointed. "Well, that's good for a first try. Here, let me just…"

She held out her palm, and with far less concentration summoned a far larger ball of energy. Ikko shifted uncomfortably. "I did say," Ruby said, noting his gaze, "We witches are naturally attuned to arts like this. It's as simple as breathing."

She pressed the light into the grainy paste, and it transformed into the smooth white gel Ikko recognised as the finished product. "Still, this is good news." Ruby added, screwing on the lid and handing it to him, "Now that we know the potential is there, we can work on it. I make absolutely no promises-" she interrupted Ikko as his mouth opened, "But it _might_ be enough, with time, to help you with some basic defensive magics. _Maybe_."

"Maybe's better than nothing." Ikko breathed, his expression brightening. "Better than Yukari's no, anyway."

Ruby smiled. "I don't want to give you false hope, Ikko. Humans without the natural inclination have real difficulty mastering spells. All we can do is try."

"What do I do?"

"For now, focus on recreating that exercise," she said, nodding to his still-outstretched palm, "You can come help me with some of my spells when we have time. It's nice to have a helping hand around here."

"Do you do this all yourself?"

"That I do."

He looked at the workbench with renewed respect. Ruby checked her phone. "You'd best get back, Ikko. Day's a-wasting."

"Oh, right. Thank you, Ruby. Thank you!"

"Not a problem. One more thing, before you go."

"What?" Ikko stopped, halfway between her and the door. He turned to see her eyes searching his.

"Why didn't you go to Mizore about this?"

"She would have said what Yukari said, I guess." Ikko shrugged. "A-and, well. She has enough to worry about, right? With her exams and all."

A smile spread across her lips. "How thoughtful of you."

"We're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course. Take care, Ikko."

Mizore threw herself onto the bed with a defeated groan. Her head hurt, first to burst with policies and behavioural practises, overflowing with syllabuses and worksheet designs. The exam loomed overhead, a snarling beast with a wicked smirk set in its gnashing maw. Hoping beyond hope that it would simply sail by, that she would wake up and it would all be a dream, she shifted and settled on the bed more properly, kicking off her shoes.

Ikko's disappearance from the Writing Club had not bothered her – a quick text Ruby's way confirmed where he was – but Yukari's entrance shortly after his exit had coloured the rest of the day. Out of spite she had redoubled her efforts to study, taking more intricate and detailed notes than ever before, which served in the end to stress her out worse than confronting Yukari.

She reached for her phone. A black screen provided a mirror in which she caught eyes hooded with fatigue, pale lips curled almost permanently into a frown.

"One more day." She breathed, raking back a tangle of blue hair. Had she always looked so tired? "One more day, and this'll all be over."

Except, she admitted, it wouldn't. Palming off Yukari under the excuse of needing to study meant that there would be pursuit in the days after her exam. If she could just make it through Golden Week undisturbed, then maybe she could focus on mending. Feeling better. Feeling more like herself – and finally, hopefully, she could face them again.

Minutes uncounted, she stared at her reflection. Her phone was off, by choice, and the prospect of switching it on filled her with dread. Who would harangue her next? Ruby knew better, and she'd successfully rebuffed Yukari. Maybe Kurumu? Mizore found a pillow and curled into it. Picturing the unyielding bastion of good times screeching down her phone made her wish her phone would die properly, so she had an excuse. Even Su, still a student, looked at her in a way that made Mizore want to dive out the window.

Perhaps there would be no avoiding it. Perhaps she would have to go. Her stomach knotted tighter. If only there was something to take her away from it. An engagement or an obligation…

The lock turned. She sat bolt upright, placing the pillow back on the bed as Ikko came into his room. His arrival kicked an idea into her head, and it took all of her restraint not to jump him with it at the first greeting. "You're here," he noted, unfazed.

"I am." She nodded, stiff. She cricked her neck, stretching it this way and that. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Huh?"

"With Ruby."

"Oh. Sorta." Ikko shrugged, his back turned. "She asked me to help out with some of her spell work."

There had been a time when her appearance in his room, preceding his, had caused Ikko to panic or at least yelp. Now he greeted her with neither surprise nor apprehension. It warmed her to see him so calm, especially considering recent revelations. "Are you enjoying the club?" she asked, to distract her mind and give the idea more time to form in her head.

"It's nice." He replied, still not looking her way. The shikigami hopped off his wrist and perched on the corner of the desk. "Su's nice. Naoko and Nori are nice. It's… yeah."

"Nice?"

They chuckled. "Yes."

He stripped his blazer and sat in his chair, finally turning to look at her. "It's tomorrow, isn't it?"

"It is." Mizore answered, her composure slipping.

"No last minute cramming?"

"Please, no. No more – I've had enough studying to last me a lifetime."

"They say every day's a school day."

"Yeah, but you can flunk school," she countered, "I can't flunk this exam."

"I guess not." Ikko scratched the back of his neck. "Can I help? Do you need anything?"

The question threw her. Mizore blinked. "What?"

"W-with the exam. I know you don't want to study, but…"

"No – no, it's okay. Thank you." She paused, closing her eyes. Nothing for it. As he shifted, picking up the controllers, Mizore spoke again. "Actually, Ikko?"

"Hm?"

"There is something you can do. I mean, there's something I wanted to ask you."

He looked momentarily confused, as if the idea of a teacher asking a student a question that wasn't going to be on a test seemed impossible. He set the controllers down, and turned to face her properly. "Sure?"

"My exam's tomorrow." Mizore looked at her phone, dead on the bed. "But after that, I've got nothing to do but wait. So I was wondering if you'd like to go back to the human world for a day."

Ikko's mouth fell open slightly. "We could do that?"

"I'm sure I could call in a favour." Mizore bluffed, avoiding his eye. "What do you think? You want to go home for a day? Get away from the world of monsters?"

"Not home," Ikko said over her last question, "There's nothing at home. Could we… I don't know. Where can we go?"

"Anywhere you like." Mizore offered, feeling her stomach unclench and her heart begin to skip. "Anywhere at all."

"Then – a city."

"A city?"

"Any city." Ikko's smile began to creep up at the corners, infectious. Mizore found herself smiling, too. "Anywhere busy. We could go shopping or something."

"A day off in the human world, and you want to go shopping?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Hm…" Mizore pondered. Her excitement got the better of her. "Leave it with me. But that's a yes, right? You want to go?"

"Absolutely!" Ikko exclaimed. He hadn't looked this happy in a while. Mizore relaxed.

"Then I'll make the arrangements."


	19. Chapter 19

Mizore took her seat. Save her and the invigilator, the classroom had been emptied. Tables were pushed to one side, chairs stacked high at the far wall.

She looked down at the printed exam booklet before her, and the pencil resting neatly at its side. Her eyes tracked up to the desk, on which sat her phone, and behind which sat the invigilator – Miss Nekonome, smiling quietly.

"We've got a couple of minutes," said she, ear flicking, "How're you feeling?"

"Fine, Miss."

"Miss!" Nekonome laughed. "It's been a while since I've taught you, Mizore. We're colleagues – you can call me Shizuka."

"Maybe when I pass this," Mizore muttered, staring apprehensively at the plain sheet.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," said Nekonome, head tilting to one side. She unfolded and refolded her legs, checking the clock at the back of the classroom, "Oh, there we go. You may begin."

* * *

For the second day in a row, Ikko found himself stuck on what to write. He stared at his blank page, the feeling of being stuck stronger now than ever before.

"Worried?" Su asked, taking the seat next to him.

"Worried?"

"It must have started by now," Su nodded towards the clubroom clock, "Aren't you worried?"

"I guess I am." He replied, non-committal. He tapped the page with his pen. "Nothing for it, though. She passes or she fails."

"True." Su's laptop sat opposite him – she, too, had abandoned creative pursuits. "You feeling better?"

"A bit," Ikko admitted, "We've not done much, but spending time with you guys is good. Relaxing."

"You can't ask for much more than a quiet vacation around Yokai," Su said, stretching out, "But I wouldn't get too chilled – guess who I walked past this morning?"

"Etsuko?" Su nodded, with a quick motion to her lips to shush him. Ikko cleared his throat, "What did you find? Did you manage it?"

"Only a brief touch," Su explained, frowning, "And it wasn't enough to get anything clear. Without prompting her, I couldn't get a focussed answer like I wanted."

"What did you learn?" he asked.

"That she missed her morning coffee." Ikko slumped in his chair.

"That's not in the slightest bit useful."

"I said it was a brief touch. The point is, her thoughts weren't forced. She wasn't ogling Masumi with every breath."

"What does that tell us?"

"It means she's not being charmed or controlled." Su answered, folding her arms under her chest. "Her thoughts are her own. If she is being manipulated, it's in ways more subtle than brute force."

Ikko took out his phone. For want of something to do with his hands whilst they talked, he opened a web browser and headed to Under Moonlight. "Can a monster really do that?"

"Like I said, the sky's the limit."

He dragged a hand over his face. "You're saying yes."

"I'm saying it's possible. Did you see Masumi?"

"No," Ikko sighed, leaning back in his chair. He hadn't been keeping an eye out for the guy, not with his determination to stay out of trouble for Golden Week, but his absence was notable, "Reckon he's gone away for a few days? Like a half-week vacation."

"We can't confirm if that's true, but if we take a risk, we might be able to pin down Etsuko and get some answers out of her."

"Are you sure you weren't kicked out of the News Club?"

Su laughed, shaking her head, "Once the others graduated, I didn't have much reason to stay besides Koko, and she manages just fine without me. What do you think?"

Ikko looked to Mizore's empty chair. "It can't hurt to try and talk to her…"

"Mizore's going to be out all day. If we're going to do it, we won't have a better shot than this."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess…"

"What're you guys talking about?"

Su started. Ikko yelped, jolting in his seat. Naoko looked up at them, hands linked behind her back, eyes bulging with curiosity.

"N-nothing, Naoko!" Ikko began, but Su raised a hand.

"Naoko, what are you and Nori planning to do for the rest of the day?"

"I thought we were staying here?" she asked. Nori grunted, occupying a corner at the back of the room, "But if we're stopping, then I don't know. I think Sushi wants to play games."

"Hm…" Ikko didn't like the look in Su's eyes. She pressed a gloved finger to her chin, her eyebrows knitting together. "Could you do us a favour?"

"Su-"

"Sure!" Naoko squeaked, rolling on her heels. "What d'you need?"

"We need you to see if someone's in the school."

"Su!" Ikko spluttered.

"His name's Masumi Yakumaru. He's a second-year, blond hair – we met him on Preternatural Street. You remember?"

"Er…" Naoko's face scrunched in recollection. "Oh yeah! He was with that huge log of a guy, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. Can you go see if he's around? Text me if you find him?"

"Su, this isn't-"

"It's a fine idea," Su cut him off, fixing him with a look, "Two first years aren't going to draw too much attention, and they'd only be hanging about the campus anyway. What's the harm?"

Ikko squirmed. He looked between Su and Naoko. "Just – keep your distance from him, alright? Don't make a fuss if you see him, just text us."

Naoko saluted. "What's this for?"

"Secret," Su replied, with a flawlessly mischievous smirk, "Take Sushi, will you?"

She did, seizing Nori about the wrist and dragging him out of the classroom. For her diminutive statute, she certainly wasn't weak. Ikko looked back to his phone, flicking it idly. "What happened to us being careful?"

"Masumi's gonna recognise either of us if we go looking for him. He might have seen them a couple of days ago, but he only really had eyes for you and Etsuko. He barely noticed me."

He remained unconvinced, but the deed was done. He looked back to his phone. "Is that Under Moonlight?" asked Su.

"Yeah – Etsuko liked to read it. She showed me – I was gonna see if there's any more news about that girl who awakened in my old school."

He didn't find anything. The news site updated only sporadically. "No news is good news," offered Su, "Is there a contact email for the site?"

"I think so." He scrolled to the bottom of the page. "Yeah, there's an email for G. Morioka. He's an alum, right?"

Remembering the café where he, Kia and Etsuko first properly bonded caused a deep pang of longing. "More than an alum," Su said, with a spreading grin, "He's a friend of mine – and Mizore's. Sharp guy. He might know what we're dealing with, or he could point us in the right direction."

"Could you email him?"

"Sure." Su took out her phone and began typing. Lacking anything better to do, Ikko stood up and started pacing. His mind wandered to Mizore – how was she doing? Had she studied enough? Would she make good on her promise to take him to the human world?

He surged with excitement. A chance to be back among his people, whatever that meant. A chance to enjoy a day without fear of premature devouring. No Masumi, no Kotsubo, no monsters at all. Just he and Mizore, and the city at his feet. He wondered whether it would be in celebration or commiseration that they departed the campus. What would happen if she failed?

He tried not to think about that. "Okay, sent." Su exclaimed, drawing him back to reality. "God, I haven't heard from Gin in ages."

"Do they all stay in touch?" Ikko inquired. "That, uh… the gang, I guess?"

"The gang." Su parroted with a smile. "I like that. Yeah, they do. They've all got their own things to deal with, but they keep in touch. Texts, calls. It's easier when they're right there, though." She nodded to Mizore's chair.

"Must be nice," he murmured, following her gaze. He perched on the table, and finally gave voice to his fears. "You reckon she'll pass?"

"Mm…" Su hummed. "Probably. She was never the greatest student, from what I could tell, but she really wants this job. Plus it puts you in a tight spot, right? Only one guardian. I can see why you're worried."

He made a soft grunt of agreement. "I'm sure they'd find someone else."

"Yeah – me, probably. Who else? Tayama?"

Ikko laughed, hollow. "Exactly," Su continued, "I could graduate and come back as an aide."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." They shared a nod. "What do you want to do when you graduate?"

"Oh, god. I don't know. Try again later."

Su's phone buzzed. She checked it. "Naoko and Nori haven't seen him. They're headed back to the dorms – what do you want to do?"

"Not seeing him is different to him not being here," Ikko murmured, "They could have missed him. He might be at the dorms, he might-"

"He might, he might, he might. Ikko." Su stood up. "Do you want to do something about this or not?"

A tiny, Mizore-shaped figure in his head told him no. The rest of him, the part that worried for Etsuko, that suspected Masumi, ached to do something other than sit here and stew. "Yeah."

"Then we can't worry about mights – we find Etsuko and try and get something out of her."

She locked eyes with him. They stared at each other for a long moment, before Ikko finally settled his expression and nodded, steely. "Right." Su clapped her gloved hands together. "Let's be quick."

They started in the canteen, working their way from there to the rest of the campus. Every classroom and clubroom, the grounds, all the way up to the entrance of the dorms, finding neither hide nor hair of Etsuko. His feet tired from 'being quick', which meant mostly stumbling to keep up with Su's double-time, Ikko collapsed onto a rock and gave a groan of irritation, not akin to the growl of a wounded animal. Su placed her hands on her hips, looking around. "I don't get it. I saw her this morning."

"She might still be in the dorms. Did you think of that?"

"She was dressed to go out…" Su chewed her lip, but ceded the point. She sat next to Ikko. "Sorry, Ikko. I thought we had a lead."

"It's not your fault. You tried." He scratched the back of his neck, rubbing at the sheen of sweat that clung to him, sticking his shirt uncomfortably. "What do we do now?"

"We're not giving up so soon, are we?" Su looked surprised. "She could still be about there."

"We'll have a better time of it trying when we're all in school, right?" Ikko suggested. "We know she'll be there then."

"Maybe… Oh."

"Oh?"

"Oh!" Su pointed frantically to a spot just a few feet away. In the middle-distance he saw her, short hair ablaze like an ember in the wind, sat near a massive, twisted trunk. "That's her, right?"

"It is…" Ikko frowned. "Lucky us."

"Shall we?"

They jumped to their feet, Ikko feeling invigorated. Now that they had found her – or rather, she had found them – his mind swam with every possible question he wanted to ask her. A chance for clarity, for answers.

He was a few steps away before she saw him. Etsuko looked his way and smiled, pushing up from her seat. "Ikko!"

His heart churned. She spoke as if there was naught amiss. "Etsuko," he mumbled, looking across to Su.

"And you're… with the Writing Club?"

"Oh, yeah – this is President Sasahara."

"Call me Su," said she, extending an ungloved hand. Etsuko looked at it, confused, but shook it nonetheless.

"Su. How's Golden Week treating you?"

"Me?" Ikko stammered, "Uh – fine. Fine, yeah. Nothing… of note."

"I've not seen you all week," Etsuko nodded his way. He missed her fiery hair bouncing along with the gesture, "Made me think you're avoiding me."

"No, no!" He noticed Su's hand was still touching Etsuko's. If there was a natural moment, it had to be now. "Y-you've been busy with Yakumaru, right? And I've been busy with club, so…"

Su's eyes narrowed with focus. Contact broke just after the end of his question. She tried a friendly laugh. "That's my fault. I've had him wrapped up with exercises, getting used to the art of it."

"Is it hard?" Ikko eased. She seemed none the wiser to Su's abilities. "Writing."

"It can be," he replied, scratching the back of his neck, "Can't be as hard as journalism, though. You need real passion for that. Is it true you're quitting?"

Something curious took hold of Etsuko. For the briefest moment, her eyes shifted out of focus, looking through Ikko instead of at him. Her docile smile flickered – but as soon as it happened, she returned to her current self. "Yeah. Masumi and I are quitting. He's… uh. He doesn't like some of the stances the paper takes."

Su and Ikko exchanged a look. The Yokai Times had never struck him as a particularly political project, but she would be the better judge of that. His mind span, trying to think up the next question to press the issue. Su spared him the effort, stepping in. "What about you? How do you feel about it?"

It happened again. Etsuko's focus disappeared, her gaze vanishing into the middle-distance, before her composure returned. "I… uh. I don't know how to feel about it, really. He's really opened my eyes."

"Opened your eyes?" Ikko blurted. "You're joking! What about your hair?"

"What about it?" Etsuko asked dully.

"Well, it's- it's-!"

"Akada."

A new voice spoke his name like the thrust of a knife. Ikko jumped back as Judo loomed into view from behind the tree. Su reflexively stepped between him and them, fingers curled. She'd replaced her gloves. "Are they bothering you, Yanase?" Judo asked, looking down on the girl. In her shadow, she shook her head.

"Not at all."

A vice seized Ikko's chest. He looked behind the tree, desperate to spy Masumi – for if Judo was here, then surely…!

"Ikko!" Su snapped, "Don't be weird. How do you do?"

She smiled flawlessly up at Judo, whose features remained stony, carven, grave. "Ikko hadn't had a chance to see his friend over the vacation, so I thought we'd go looking for her. I hope we haven't disturbed anything."

"Nothing." Judo grunted. Then, with one more look at Etsuko, "Come."

"Oh. Alright." Etsuko nodded. She flashed a farewell grin in the pair's direction before trailing after the lumbering titan.

Ikko braced himself against the tree, his breath short with panic. Su folded her arms under her chest, watching them go. When they turned out of sight, neither of them looking back, she finally let a breath out. "How did he do that?"

"What?"

"He just… appeared, right? No way was that Judo hiding behind the tree that entire time. We'd have heard him, at the very least."

Ikko pressed a palm to his forehead, feeling cold sweat shiver from him. "That was a close one."

"Close, yeah," Su concurred, "But worth it."

"Worth it?" He repeated. Ikko looked up at his senior, "What did you feel?"

"It's more like what I _didn't_ feel," Su whispered, "That's sneaky. Real sneaky. If Masumi's behind this, then…"

"What?" Ikko asked. Then again, more forcefully, when Su didn't reply. "What, Su? Tell me!"

She blinked, breaking from her thoughts. "I didn't catch a single negative emotion. Not one. It's like they're being erased, or muffled or- or something. I've never known a monster to play so subtly with emotions before."

"Etsuko's being controlled, then," he concluded.

Su shook her head. "It's more delicate than that. She's not being pulled around or told what to do. Whatever he's done, it's amplified her positive feelings whilst stifling the negative."

The ability baffled him. To manipulate someone in such a fundamental way sent shivers down his spine, made his cold sweat worse. "Outwardly, she's happy as can be," Su continued, starting to pace, "But if she can't feel sadness, worry, hate – then of course she'll _look_ fine."

"It wasn't all the time, though." Ikko noted. "You saw her, didn't you? When I asked about the club?"

She shook her head. He tried to recount the expression in as much detail as possible. "I asked her why she quit club, and she looked kinda… unfocussed? Like something suddenly crossed her mind, took her out of the conversation."

Su chewed her lip. "I didn't see that. Good eyes, Ikko – that confirms what we're worried about. If she's upset about club, then whatever's influencing her emotions has a momentary lapse as it reasserts itself, in order to stifle the reaction."

"We think." Ikko added.

"Unless we nail Masumi to a cross, all we can do is think." Su sighed. "But that's enough for now. We know for sure he's messing with her head."

"Right – so let's go tell Mizore, and- hey!" Ikko had begun to head back to the campus, only to be stopped by Su's iron grip. She seized his sleeve and all but dragged him back to her side.

"I know you want to move, but two things." She held up one finger. "First, we have no proof he's doing that. Second." The next unfolded. "Mizore's in the middle of an exam, you dolt! What is she supposed to do?"

"Oh." Ikko paused. "Right. Sorry. I forgot."

Su rolled her eyes. "For now, let's just keep an eye out. If Judo's covering her when Masumi can't, it's going to be too risky to approach her again. I'd rather not push our luck."

"Why are you so good at this?" Ikko observed.

Su laughed. "I got a lot of practise before Tsukune's lot graduated. Around them, you had to think fast."

"Why?"

"Well…" Su tapped her chin. She motioned for them to start walking. "Let's just say this. If you think this is trouble, you've got another thing coming."

"Really?" Ikko's shoulders sagged.

"Really."

He groaned. "I don't think I could take any worse than this."

* * *

"Pencil down."

Mizore leaned back from her hyper-focussed hunch, sighing relief. She closed the exam booklet on its last page and pushed it towards Nekonome, who nimbly scooped it up. "It'll take about a week to get this back from the office," she explained, "They're closed throughout Golden Week, so that should be midweek? Week after next?"

Mizore slumped. A whole week, maybe longer, waiting for the piece of paper that would settle the fate of her career. "Great."

"Now, now," Nekonome smoothed the surface of the booklet, slotting it into a large brown envelope to send off, "You wouldn't have been hired if you didn't have potential. Think of this as the rubber stamp telling you what you can already do."

Unable to tell her that the real reason she had been recruited into the faculty was so the Headmaster had an extra pair of eyes to look after its latest human student, Mizore settled for a weak nod and a small word of thanks. "Any plans for the rest of the week?" Nekonome asked, bright. Her tail swished and her ears flicked with curiosity. "I'm surprised you're not out with the rest of them."

"Yeah…" Mizore trailed off. "I missed out on it, with the exam and all. You?"

"I have a bottle of sake to share," Nekonome purred, "And some tuna nigiri, if I'm lucky!"

"To share? With who?"

"Maybe I'll tell you," she smirked, "When you start calling me Shizuka."

Mizore shrugged. She recalled that she did have something in the way of plans. "On that note, I think I'll go. Enjoy your sake, Miss."

"Sure – oh! Your phone!" Nekonome held it out. "You have a couple of texts."

She checked it, spirits dropping when she saw that both were from Ruby.

Ruby T.: Black's alarm went off

Ruby T.: Sorted

Sorted? What did that mean? More importantly, she thought with a furrowed brow, what had Ikko done to set the shikigami off?

Her confusion sang plain on her face, for Nekonome followed her farewell by asking if she was okay. Dismissing it with a hasty excuse, Mizore hurried from the classroom and set off for the dorms. "Tell me you've not done anything stupid…" she muttered.

* * *

"We didn't mean to bump into them," Ikko lied, looking to Su for help. They were in the Writing Club's classroom with Ruby, who had swooped down mere moments after they resolved to discuss their findings in more depth with G. Morioka when he replied. He made a mental note to deactivate White next time he went snooping.

"Ikko was walking me back to the dorms when we saw them," Su added, "Judo came out of nowhere, gave us both a fright."

Ruby pursed her lips. Her pink eyes searched Ikko, and he felt a twinge of shame to be hiding something from the witch so soon after she had offered to help him defend himself. "And you're sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely!" Ikko exclaimed, perhaps a second too quick, "I'm not hurt. Just a little startled. Sorry to drag you away from whatever you were doing."

Ruby exhaled, and fiddled with one of her pigtails. "Don't worry about that. You know what I'm here for. If you're sure you're okay…"

"Everything's attached, isn't it?" Ikko joked. Ruby left them with one last look that made Ikko shift his attention pointedly towards his phone.

"How did she know where to find you?" asked Su. He showed her the shikigami.

"I can find whoever's wearing it, too. It completely slipped my mind."

"Well, we weren't expecting an ambush from a seven-foot lump of muscle."

They shared a conspiratorial grin. "Has he replied?" asked Ikko, looking at Su's phone.

"No, not yet. I'll follow-up when he does. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"I was gonna hit the library, see if I can't find anything that might help us out."

"You can do that?"

"Sort of. Yokai isn't teeming with compendiums on species – good luck trying to count them all – but regional folklore, legends, stuff like that can give us a rough idea. Want to join me?"

"I-" Ikko opened his mouth to say yes, but recalled that he would be leaving Yokai, "-Can't. Sorry, I have plans."

Su's brows shot skyward. "You?"

"Yes, me!"

"You and Nori gaming?"

"No, I'm – I'm going out."

" _Out?_ " Su's expression shifted closer to incredulity. "Ikko Akada, you don't have a date. Do you?"

"Absolutely not!" Ikko flushed. "I mean out of- of Yokai. You know, to the human world. Mizore's sorting it."

At this, Su's surprise shifted from incredulity to shock. She didn't elaborate, electing instead for a pensive silence. "Weird. Well, I'm not going to stop that. I'm sure you could use a breather."

"No kidding."

"I'll let you know what I find, 'kay? And what Gin says, too."

"Please." Ikko smiled. He wondered if Mizore had indeed made arrangements – he trusted her enough to leave it in her hands, but where would they be going?

Catching his distraction, Su pat him gently on the head. "You've really come out of your shell, you know."

"I have?" Ikko looked up. His senior beamed, her tangled knot of hair slightly askew, her cheeks still slightly pink from their dash back to the classroom, but otherwise radiant with a feeling he could only guess was pride.

"Considering where you've come from – what you are – yeah. You've really settled down. I'm glad."

"I've had your help," he replied, sincere, "Tayama really, uh… she messed with me, but you were there. Sushi and Naoko, too. You've all been good to me this past week."

"You can count on us." Su nodded, hand slipping from head to shoulder and giving him a hearty squeeze. "Why don't we head back? We can't do much 'till Gin replies."

Ikko agreed. They left the clubroom in each other's company, talking animatedly, neither of them noticing the shock of platinum blond hair lurking a few short feet down the corridor.


	20. Chapter 20

The rest of the day dragged. Sat in his room by himself, Ikko checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

No messages. No notifications. He'd depleted his stamina on the mobile games, and that left only his console. He looked at it, for the first time feeling that it wasn't enough. He pined for company, a revelation which shocked him worse than his first days at Yokai.

He sent a quick message to Su, asking if she had any news from Gin, then stowed his phone and picked up his controller. He had grown so use to Ruby on the other side of the door, or Mizore in his room, that he'd forgotten what it was like to be by himself. As he booted up and started to play, Su's response came; nothing yet. His frown worsened, but expecting no more of the day, he allowed himself to double down and lose himself in the game for the rest of the night. Ikko felt himself relax as the minutes ticked by, as if part of him was recharging. He hadn't realised how worn down he felt, having to spend all day, every day in the company of others. Not since Kia had he owned a moment to himself that wasn't spent sleeping.

Kia… his memories of her rose unbidden, uninvited. He stamped them down, unwilling to face the betrayal of his supposed best friend. To feed on him like that, to tear apart his soul – and yet, she hadn't meant it. Had she? He remembered her tears, her worry; or had that been because he had passed out? Had she feared that, in her indulgence, she'd killed? If banishment awaited assault on a student, what awaited the murder of one?

Ikko stared at the screen, his mind torn away from the action. He paused, sighing, and reached for his phone again. Maybe a quick text, a momentary connection, would raise his spirits. This time, he picked Mizore. "How was your exam? Are we on for tomorrow?" he typed.

This time, Su's voice floated up from the back of his mind. _"Ikko Akada. You don't have a date, do you?"_

His cheeks caught fire. He mashed send before nerves got the better of him and tried to go back to his game. Logically, he understood that this was not a date – that it could never be a date – and yet her teasing primed him for embarrassment. They were a guy and a girl going out to spend time together, alone. From that perspective, excluding all other things, it could be construed as a date.

He shook his head so hard it hurt his neck, trying to cast off the idea. "It's not!" he said aloud, before casting about to make sure Mizore was not perched on his bed or climbing through the window, as was her stealthy wont. It could not be a date. Besides, she wasn't even that… that what? Cute? Ikko thoughts lapsed. He tried to see that, but knew he would be lying to himself if he believed, for a moment, that Mizore wasn't cute. Her way of seeming perfectly dishevelled, always slightly aloof but quick to draw close with a short laugh or the flash of smile…

"What am I thinking?" he sighed, staring hopelessly at the pause screen. He tossed his controller down and dove onto the bed, groaning into the pillow.

He decided to never tell Su about his plans again. After ten solid minutes spent glaring at his phone, begging Mizore to respond so he could get this damn idea out of his head, Ikko conceded and tried to sleep.

* * *

Ikko sat at the bottom step of the dormitory step, yawning. Two A.M. ran screaming past before sleep decided to settle on him, leaving him exhausted, drained, and ready for the day to be over before it began.

Mizore's text served as his alarm clock that morning, telling him where and when to meet. He had stumbled to the where, and awaited the when with bleary eyes, dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and a light jacket. He tugged at his shoelaces, slumping over his knees. Another yawn.

"You look terrible."

He yelped, jumping into his feet. Mizore poked her head through the door, looking past him and up the stairs. She gestured for him to follow, beckoning sharply. Ikko quickstepped out of the dorms, hooking immediately to the right. "Why are we hiding?" he whispered.

"Student and teacher meeting at the dorms?" Mizore retorted, "Come on, Ikko. People will talk."

"Oh. Right."

He stepped back, rubbing his eye. He had only seen her out of her smart-casual teacher's attire once before, at the Writing Club's first meet of Golden Week. Then, it looked like she had picked clothes based on what she could reach at the moment of her decision. Now she wore black tights, an oversized blue shirt that served double duty as a skirt, and a long-sleeved black jacket. Were it not for the same messy blue hair falling over her shoulders, and the signature lollipop sticking out of her mouth, Ikko could have easily mistook her for another student. "Ikko." Mizore said, in a tone just short of snapped fingers. He jolted to attention. "You okay? You look dead on your feet."

"Yeah. Yeah, uh – I didn't sleep well." He left out why.

"We can grab a coffee when we're in."

"Where are we going?"

"Tokyo." Mizore answered, starting to walk. "You said you wanted a city."

"How far are we from Tokyo?" Ikko asked, matching her pace. They turned left, towards the cliffside where the school minibus had dropped him off once upon a time, and to his surprise he saw it parked, waiting. "How far is Yokai from, well, anything? It's a few hours from both our places, if it picked us up."

Mizore grinned. She offered him a lollipop. "Our school buses have a bit of an edge over the regular kind. Technically speaking, Yokai isn't close to anything."

Ikko grunted, drawing out a laugh. "Yokai exists in a place called the Borderlands. Think of it like… a world just outside the regular world."

"Excuse me?"

"They're places that are magically protected to keep out humans, or any outsiders really." Mizore gestured to the ever-grim sky above them. "This weather's part of the effect of the barrier protecting Yokai and Preternatural Street. It's regulated so any monsters that require specific climes – for example, Yuki-onna." She gestured to herself. "Won't suffer."

"When you say protecting…" Ikko looked skywards.

"I mean that unless you know _how_ to get in, you can't. The school bus is the only way into Yokai Academy. You have to be on it. It stops a stray human waltzing in and discovering that monsters exist. Well, it's _supposed_ to do that." She shot him a wry smirk. "Obviously the Headmaster has a habit of sneaking them in occasionally."

Ikko tried to estimate how large the barrier must be to protect the whole of Yokai Academy, the dorms, and the expansive Preternatural Street. His mind just about broke with the effort. "Just what _is_ the Headmaster, anyway?"

"That is a very good question. To answer the original question." Mizore pointed to the bus as they neared it. Ikko looked back to the cliff. The trek exhausted him originally; now he made it without so much as a bead of sweat. "These buses can go anywhere there's tunnels."

"Seriously?"

"Considering that my home exists in a completely different part of the Borderlands, and you lived out in the human world – yes. Anywhere there's tunnels. Tokyo is as far away from Yokai Academy as Paris is."

"That's madness." Ikko boggled.

The doors hissed as they opened, revealing a familiar cigar-smoking bus driver. "Hey there, sonny."

"You!"

"Me," He growled, wafting his cigar, "How's Yokai treating you?"

"I- well, it's, uh…" Ikko babbled. "I haven't died yet."

"Not for its lack of trying, eh?" He replied, chortling. "All aboard, kids. We've got places to be."

Still reeling from Mizore's nonchalant explanation of the existence of what could only be teleportation magic, Ikko followed her dumbly to the very back of the bus. He thought, perhaps, that he might wake in bed, and that this would all be a dream. Then the doors shut and the bus gave an almighty lurch, knocking him off-balance and into one of the steel bars for gripping, and he concluded that if there was a time to wake, it would be now.

"Ikko!" Mizore kneeled to help him stand. "You okay?"

"Mm…" His forehead throbbed. Wincing, scrunching his eyes shut with the pain, Ikko allowed himself to be sat down at a window seat. He felt cool pressure applied to the area. "Ow."

"That was a nasty knock. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"What's your name?"

"Eh?"

"What's your name?"

"Ikko."

"Ikko what?"

"Ikko Akada- Mizore, I'm fine. No concussion."

"I'd be a lousy guardian if I didn't make sure."

He sucked in a breath. The rolling, undulating trundle of wheels on dirt gave way to smoother tarmac. Ikko opened one eye, coming face to face with Mizore. She loomed close, icy hand pressed against his forehead.

"Wuh-what are you doing?"

"I didn't pack anything for head trauma." She said, simple. He smelled the cool mint of her breath. He yanked away, nearly hitting the window in the violence of the move.

"Really! I'm fine. I am. It'll take more than that to put me down."

She frowned, sceptical, but withdrew her hand and turned to face the front. "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked.

"Yeah…?"

"You've had no sleep and a trip." Mizore pressed. "If you don't want to do this – if you'd rather go back and get some rest-"

"I'm _fine_." Ikko snapped. Her fretting quickly wore on his misgivings about being babysat.

Her gaze dipped. "Alright."

An uncomfortable, leaden silence pressed down on them, lowering Ikko's eyes to the floor. He cleared his throat and tried a change of tact. "How… how was your exam? You never told me."

Mizore groaned, slumping forward. She rested her forehead on the seat in front. "Awfully. Absolutely awfully."

"Did you fail?" Ikko asked.

"I've not had the marks yet, but it was awful! Everything I studied for, all that junk I crammed into my head, it flew out the other ear as soon as I wrote my name down. It's a miracle I answered every question."

"Huh." He frowned, rubbing his head where the bar had struck it. He tried to keep the wince out of her line of sight. "Well, I've- I've always found that exams I hated doing I tended to pass, so maybe it's that?"

"God, I hope so," she mumbled, "I can't lose this job. Mom would kill me."

"Is she tough on you?"

"No. She doesn't like the fact that I've spent a whole year 'wasting away' at hers." Mizore pushed off the seat, sitting up straight. She pushed a hand through her tangle of hair, heaving a sigh. "She wants me to get back out there, and this job was my chance."

They were momentarily plunged into darkness as the bus shot into the tunnel that, if Mizore was to be believed, connected them to the rest of the human world. Grubby lights sputtered into life, casting them both into a hazy orange. Grasping feebly for anything that might be a comfort, Ikko spoke. "Well, you're a good teacher. Surely your experience counts for something?"

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not!" Ikko urged, forcing a smile. "You're a good teacher, Mizore. I've learned loads – and not just because I don't know the first thing about the world of monsters."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "I'll take your word for it."

"I bet you've passed." He continued. "Bet anything you've passed."

"Careful." Mizore grinned properly. "Don't gamble what you can't afford."

"But it's a safe bet!"

"I shouldn't be encouraging my student to gamble." This laugh, they shared. Normality restored itself.

Ikko looked about, the permeating dark making it very difficult to track their progress through the tunnel. Stranger still, there were no lights for the road ahead. "How far is it to go?"

"Not far." Mizore shrugged. She turned towards him, bringing her legs up into an awkward cross. "Hey, Ikko. I've got a favour to ask."

"Sure."

"We're taking a day away from the world of monsters for you," she began, looking to her lap, "Would you mind if we did the same for the world of teaching?"

"I don't follow."

"I mean-" she huffed, "Can we drop the teacher and student stuff? Forget all about Yokai – can we just be friends today? Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm about to freak out."

"Oh. Er…" Ikko frowned.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I get it's… hard to see me as anything but a teacher, all things considered."

Her eyes dropped to the space between them. She worried the hem of her shirt dress, and her hair fell in a curtain over her eyes, making her expression unreadable. Ikko's heart faltered, and before he could think better of it, he found himself assuaging her despondency. "Sure! It's no problem at all. We're just avoiding school talk, right?" He chuckled shakily. "Not too hard to do. I don't want to think about what I'm going back to do after today."

She smiled up at him. Then she put out her hand, proffering it. "Then it's nice to meet you, Ikko."

"Eh?"

"Go on," she rolled her eyes, "Just play along."

He took her hand. "N-nice to meet you, Mizore."

A full smile spread across her face, lighting up every corner. She gave his hand a reaffirming squeeze – she even sat up straighter, as if the charade lifted a great weight from her back. Ikko pulled away, matching it only nervously, folding over himself as he returned to staring out the window. His thoughts yet dwelled on Su's teasing, and thus far Mizore's behaviour had done nothing to dissuade him. Dread mounted as he worried that his return to the human world wouldn't be a normal as he was hoping.

The bus gave another unsteady lurch. Ikko yelped as they were suddenly surrounded by cars, honking and blaring surprise. The driver swerved dangerously into a nearby bus stop, braking harshly. Ikko braced, bouncing off the rail this time. "He does know how to drive, right?" he spluttered, looking fearfully towards Mizore. She was already standing, peering out the window with an expression that suggested preparation.

"Probably. C'mon! You want breakfast, right?"

"Breakfast?" Ikko's stomach growled at the word. He realised he hadn't eaten. "Will there be coffee?"

* * *

"Su?" Ruby called, poking her head through the Writing Club's door. "You in here?"

Su looked up from her laptop, unplugging her headphones. Nori and Naoko were away – she had given them the day off from club activities, given Ikko's absence. She smiled at the witch, beckoning. "Ruby! How are you?"

She gave Su a quick hug, joining her at the table. "You haven't seen Mizore today, have you? I haven't seen her since she went into her exam."

Su closed the lid of her laptop, blocking the email she had been reading from view. She scribbled a quick note on her pad as she answered. "Nope. I thought she was out with Ikko today?"

"Out?" Ruby asked. Su grimaced; she had expected this of their reclusive friend, and only the faintest of hopes dared her to believe her plans entirely selfless.

"She didn't tell you."

"What do you mean, 'out with Ikko'? Are they down Preternatural Street?"

Su gave her a wry look. "You wouldn't happen to have plans with the gang tonight, would you?"

"I – yes, I do. We've had this planned for ages. I set it so it would be after her exams. Why?"

"Sorry, Ruby," she sighed, "Mizore's dodged it. She's taken Ikko out to the human world for a day. I thought it was weird when he told me. It's a bit of a big thing to just spring on someone."

"She hasn't!" Ruby gasped. "Oh, that – of all the…"

Su blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen you mad."

"I'm not mad!" Her tone suggested precisely the opposite. "I'm just – just – Ooh!"

"Want me to text her?"

"No!" She yelled, mere breaths after Su finished the offer. "No, I'll deal with her. Gods be good… I thought she'd be better than this."

"Any particular reason why she's given you all the slip…?" Su probed.

"Tsukune's going to be there." Ruby frowned. "I had said it would just be the three of us – Yukari, her and I – but then Yukari blabbed and they all made time, so here we are."

"They can hardly resist a party. Hey, can I come?"

"It's off-campus." Ruby replied, regaining some of her composure. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Su. Rules are rules."

Su pouted, saying no more. She checked her note. "What are you gonna do?"

"She can't keep avoiding him." Ruby answered. "Not if she wants to get better…"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm going to send her a text." She continued. "And she can do with it what she wants. Su, don't tell her I know, okay?"

"Not a word." Su gave a mock-salute, grinning. Ruby giggled half-heartedly before excusing herself, leaving the Satori once more to herself.

Rolling her eyes at Mizore's antics, Su returned to her email. She scribbled more down on the note, scanning it quickly. "How am I going to get that?" she murmured, "It's from years ago…"

"No Akada today?"

Su bolted from her chair so quickly that she nearly upturned her laptop. She seized the note and jammed it into her pocket, her other hand snapping into a defensive position.

Masumi Yakumaru leaned against the doorframe, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. His hollow smile locked onto Su, green eyes unblinking. "Terribly sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you, President Sasahara."

"Yakumaru," Su returned, terse, "What can I do for you?"

"Absolutely nothing." Masumi opened his arms in a wide shrug, ambling into the classroom. Su lowered her arms, but kept her fists clenched. "Nothing at all. I was looking for Akada – do you know where he is?"

"No."

"No?" Masumi sneered. "My my, President. I thought you'd keep a better eye on your underclassmen than that."

"And what does that mean?"

"Only that you should care for those beneath you. Judo tells me you and he are very concerned about my girlfriend."

Su's heart leapt into her throat – as expected, Judo had gone straight to report their chat. "I don't know what you're planning," she began, but Masumi cut across her.

"Planning? You misunderstand. I just want us all to be friends! After all the work I put in to protect Akada from Tayama and her dangers. He's been very ungrateful."

"Friends?" Su scoffed, "After you've terrified him? After what you've done to Etsuko? You think we'd ever be friends with you?"

Masumi's guise flickered. His jaw clenched. For an instant, Su saw something writhe beneath his flawless, pale skin. "I _know_ we'll be friends, President Sasahara. Everyone sees things my way – eventually."

He snapped his fingers. Su gasped as someone grabbed both her hands, locked them behind her back, and pushed her down against the table. The simple fact of Judo's weight ensured she couldn't move. She gasped. "When did you-!"

"Judo's the best in his club." Masumi gloated, strolling over to the pair. Su struggled in vain. She stamped her feet on his. Judo grunted and tightened his grip, pulling her arms up. Pain shattered her protests. "Faster than I ever was – but then again, combat's not my forte. Now."

He slammed his hand down on the table. She saw his fingers distend, sprouting thorn-like ridge. The tips sharpened to hollow points, oozing an amber nectar. Su tried once more, desperate, hopeless, to free herself – but Judo's grip held fast. She stared frantically up at her attacker, finding his grin as warped as his wretched hands. "Let's be friends," he hissed, "Shall we?"

* * *

Ikko gulped down the last of his coffee and returned with renewed vigour to attacking his breakfast. The stress of the previous day, his practically sleepless night – it all culminated in a voracious appetite. "Easy, there!" Mizore balked, hiding behind her drink, "I can't have you choking to death at the first stop."

"Shorry," he mumbled, "I'm sho hungry…"

"No kidding. You'd think we were starving back home."

His grin sheepish, Ikko calmed his pace. It hadn't taken long to locate a café, and they sat now in a booth at the very back of the establishment, huddled together away from the crowds. Despite that, Ikko's heart swelled with confidence as he knew, instinctively, that he was amongst his own kind. Every face human, every smile genuine, every appetite for normal things like bacon and eggs, not meat. "What's home like?" he asked between bites of his toast.

"My home?" Mizore confirmed, "Cold. Really cold. It's just for our kind, so we don't have to worry too much about the weather. It's always snowing."

"What happens if you get too hot?" He asked.

"We don't melt, if that's what you're thinking." Mizore answered, rolling her eyes, "But it's not good for us. We get sick."

"Must be tough."

"Not really. It's why I have these," she brandished a lollipop, "They help keep me cool."

"Oh – so when you said they help you cool off?"

"I meant literally, yeah."

Ikko laughed. He finished the last of his breakfast leaned back in the cushioned seat, smiling fondly out onto the rest of the world. "So weird…"

"What?"

"You," he started, "This – this whole world. Ever since I found out about Yok- your lot, it's been one weird discovery after another. Even if it's just another species, or finding out that the whole place is locked behind a magical barrier. It gets weirder every day."

"I suppose it does." Mizore agreed. She finished her coffee. "You get used to it, after a while. Surprises are just part of the everyday. It's also why we maintain our guises."

"I thought that was to blend in?"

"It is – but can you imagine what it would be like to have a hundred different shapes and species wandering the halls? You think culture shock's bad, imagine a monster raised exclusively with her own kind seeing so many new things on their first day. They'd run screaming or worse, kick up absolute chaos out of simple instinct."

"Mm." Ikko grimaced at the thought. "It's a shame, though, that you have to hide."

Mizore shrugged. "It was easier back in the day. Even as early as my mom's time, things weren't as strict. Then the internet happened, smart phones, social media – screw ups can't be tolerated anymore. One good photo of our kind, and the secret's out."

"No kidding. You can't blame everything on really good cosplay."

"No," she laughed, "No you cannot."

As the conversation turned again, Mizore checked her phone. Her face fell instantly, and she slammed it back into her pocket with a stifled curse. "What?" Ikko asked, startled by the abrupt change. "What?"

"Nothing." Mizore shook herself, then jumped up. "Right! Where shall we go?"

"Mizore?"

"Come on! A whole day to ourselves, and you want to spend it sat in a café? Let's go!"

She all but pulled Ikko out of his seat and led him, by the hand, out of the café. Such was her hurry that they almost forgot to pay; only Ikko wrenching his hand out of hers and hastening back to the counter spared them the ire of the staff. As he handed over the cash, he looked anxiously back towards her. Mizore stared determinedly out of the window, avoiding his eye, but he saw her fists ball and her posture stiffen. He watched her, thoughtful.

Just what had gotten into her?


	21. Chapter 21

Marched from the café and dragged out onto the bustling city street, Ikko found himself gawping at the crowds. Though Yokai tended towards being more packed than not, given the size of its student body and plentiful staff, it paled in comparison to the human tide drifting by them. He and Mizore hovered in the entranceway, exchanging a look of amazement.

"It _is_ Golden Week," she reminded him, "Everyone's out of the office."

"Even still…"

"Where should we go?"

"Everywhere's going to be so busy."

"I thought you wanted that?"

Ikko pulled a face. "Maybe home wouldn't have been such a bad idea."

Mizore shook her head. "Come on. Let's try the shops."

She took off, nearly abandoning Ikko to the sea of passers-by. He hurried after her, relying on the waves of icy blue hair to guide him. He jostled his way through the crowds, bumped shoulders with more people than he thought possible. It was like moving through a packed tin that grew more concentrated the more he moved towards the centre.

Then it happened. Mizore's bobbing head vanished behind a particularly tight-packed crowd near a subway station, and when he broke through the crowd, he couldn't see her. It rooted him to the spot. Fruitlessly he tried to crane his neck, even jumped up to see over the crowds. Mizore, in her haste, had vanished.

He reached for his phone, about to text her, when a text caught his eye.

Ruby T.: Are you with Mizore?

Wondering whether he should respond before resuming his search, he didn't notice Mizore until she bumped into his side, looping her arm through his. He gave a frightful yelp. "Wagh! Mizore!"

"Keep up," she nudged him back into walking. He stashed his phone, all thoughts of Ruby pushed out of his mind by the way she gripped him.

"You're so fast!" he complained, "How am I supposed to do that with all these people?"

"Sorry. I'm used to shopping by myself."

"If you just slowed down a bit…" Ikko surrendered. Mizore kept her grip as they walked in the opposite direction of the crowds, occasionally glancing down to check a map on her phone. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Sure. There's a street not far from here that's a lot quieter. Don't tell me you want to stay in this?"

"Absolutely not." Ikko looked both ways, trying to spot landmarks or tourist sights. As a newcomer to the city, and having been dropped here by magical bus, his sense of place had been thrown completely off. He might as well have been dropped in yet another world, for all the difference it made.

"There's a few clothing shops – I mean, good luck affording any of it, but…"

"You been there before?"

"Once or twice. I was out with, er…" Mizore paused. She made a show of checking her phone, even though Ikko was too overwhelmed to note the twinge in her tone. "It's this way, I think. We can start there and work our way up into the other shopping districts. There's a library near there, too."

"What do we want with a library?"

"Who knows?" Mizore shrugged. "Maybe you want to waste the last of the day reading."

"Yeah, great." Ikko replied. "Are there any arcades?"

"Lessee…"

They walked and talked, slowly forming the clumsiest itinerary Ikko had ever known. Mizore seemed to know the best way to avoid crowds, for at her side he had not been bumped or jostled even once. Slowly, ever so slowly, the crowds of the main thoroughfares began to disperse, and by the time they reached a quiet street lined with fashion boutiques, barely a handful remained.

Overwhelmed and out of breath, Ikko unhooked himself from Mizore's arm and leaned against a nearby wall. "Next time," he panted, "We'll pick somewhere quieter."

Folding her arms, Mizore settled next to him, decidedly less worn down than he. She scanned the shop fronts, deciding where to start. "Don't get too used to this," she murmured, "This is a special exception for both of us. We can't drop you out in the human world on a whim – not if we're using school transport. Students are only supposed to be out in the human world on club excursions."

"I thought we were leaving Yokai talk behind?"

"I'm only explaining."

"I know, I know." Ikko pushed up on his knees, standing straight. "I didn't take you for the fancy clothes type."

"Ikko, you barely know me."

"You're not wrong." He smiled, following her gaze along the shops. "Where shall we start?"

Mizore chewed her lip. She hadn't the eye for fashion like her friends, rebuffing Ikko only to maintain some charade of distance. She picked a shop at random and marched towards it. He made to follow, only to stop when his phone rang loudly in his pocket. "It's Ruby."

"Don't answer!" Too late. Shooting her a confused look, his finger already swiping to receive the call, Ikko held the phone to his ear. Mizore scowled, awaiting to hear the words that confirmed her suspicions.

"Ruby? Hi, yeah, I'm out. What's up?" He listened. She counted the seconds. "She's not picking up? That's weird. Uh…"

Ikko looked her way. Mizore rolled her eyes, held out her hand, and snatched the phone away when he offered it. Ignoring his offended look, she turned her back and muttered. "Hi."

"Hello, Mizore." She winced, each syllable landing like a hammer blow. Ruby was not the kind to shout and scream; she never needed to. "Su tells me you've taken Ikko to the human world."

"I have."

"Arranged with the headmaster?"

"Special exception, given all he's been through."

"And it had to be today?"

Her will faltered. It would be easier is Ruby was shouting – they both knew that. Mizore looked back to Ikko, who watched on with concern. "It did."

"Is there a reason you didn't tell us?"

"I knew you'd be disappointed."

"Mizore, I see you every day." She heard the motherly frown tugging at Ruby's mouth, and hated every moment of it. "It's not me that's going to be disappointed."

There it was. Mizore bit back the reflexive retort, shortening her breath. "Just tell them I said hi."

Ruby sighed. "I will. Listen, Mizore-"

"I _know_ , Ruby. I know, but I don't want to see him. Not now. I told you, didn't I?"

"You did." Ruby's voice came in a tiny whisper, understanding. Then she jumped in volume, returning to normal. "But that's not it. I was going to say – we're using the bus to go out, but then the Headmaster has him for the rest of the day. If you want to get back to Yokai on the same trip, you're going to have to meet us at the party."

"What?" Mizore tried to put what Ruby told her together. "Hang on – no, wait. He didn't tell me that!"

"Didn't he?" Ruby asked, her tone sweet, but full of 'of course he didn't'.

"Wh-where are you guys meeting?"

"Tsukune's apartment. They're on campus at Aichi."

"Aichi!?" Mizore exclaimed. "That's ages away! We're in Tokyo!"

"Sorry," Ruby finished, "You two gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Mizore cast one last look Ikko's way, finding him pretending to be window-shopping, his eyes flicking in her direction every other second. "We'll sort something out. God…"

"I'll let you know if it changes. And Mizore?"

"Yes?"

"I won't stop them if they want to talk to you. You've been hiding long enough, understand?"

"Yes, mother." Mizore hung up before Ruby could correct her. She handed the phone back to Ikko as he joined her.

"That looked fun," he said.

"Oh, sure," Mizore groaned, " _Great_."

"What do we need to sort out?" he asked, figuring now would not be the best time to ask what had upset her so.

"We," she huffed, "Are going to need to add a hotel to the bottom of our sightseeing list."

"A hotel?"

"We're stuck here 'till tomorrow, or so Ruby says. The Headmaster needs it for something."

"You're kidding, right?" Ikko balked. "Right?"

"Nope."

"A hotel!"

"Yes, Ikko, a hotel. How many times do we have to say it?"

"B-but…"

Mizore placed her hands on her hips. At least now she knew to leave her phone off. "It's still early. We'll deal with it later. C'mon."

She marched off into the nearest store. Ikko followed along, reeling. First she led him by the hand, now they'd be sharing a hotel together – the coincidences began to add up in his addled mind. He longed for someone to set his mind straight, to clear things up and help him focus on enjoying the day, but he couldn't bring himself to confront Mizore about these things. He thought of Su, but how would he ever explain this to her? She would probably just laugh at him for being so silly. Thus, he resigned to wallow, his eyes on Mizore's back, and then on the floor as she started browsing clothes.

For her part, she tried to keep up the act, but browsed with only half a mind on the task. She spied Ikko's expression, downcast and anxious, and after the third clothes rack could take no more of it. "Ikko."

"Mm?" He didn't look up, reaching for his phone and checking for messages. She checked around them; only a few browsing shoppers picked through the store, leaving the quiet pop track of the store as the only real source of noise. She stepped a little closer, dropping her voice to a whisper.

"I know this sucks."

"No, it doesn't. It's-"

"-Fine?" she interjected. He looked up, saw her half-hearted smile a little too close for comfort. "It's not fine. This was supposed to be a day away – for both of us – and now…" She exhaled. "What I'm trying to say is, we should make the most of it. Don't worry about tonight. It's only one night, and I'm sure we'll find a convenience store."

"It's not that." His head shook, arms stiff at his side. Mizore couldn't possibly guess what played on his mind, and he was loath to speak it now, but she was pushing him into a corner.

"What, then?" she asked, "What is it?"

"It's – er. It's…" Ikko scrunched his eyes. "Is this really okay?"

"Of course it is," Mizore urged. She placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Ikko's cheeks burst into colour. He bowed his head and stepped back. "It's just a day," she continued, shrugging, "We'll get back to Yokai tomorrow, and that'll be that."

"Right." His nod came shakily, causing Mizore to look once more at the clothes shop around them. She sighed.

"We're not gonna get anything done if you're locked up in there." She mumbled, tapping a long finger against his forehead. The strange gesture caused Ikko to snap up from his distraction, startled.

"What d'you mean?"

"I know what that's like," she smiled, "Being caught up in your thoughts with no way to sort them out. You want my advice?"

He nodded with more certainty. "Focus on right now," Mizore replied, "Whatever's got you caught up in your head, whatever's bugging you – you can always deal with it later. Right now? Right here? We're here to take a break from all that, aren't we?"

"That sounds like terrible advice," Ikko muttered, laughing.

"Give it a try," she urged, "It's helped me a lot these past few days. Past while, actually."

He harboured a sneaking suspicion that this had something to do with the phone call. Ikko took a deep breath. If Mizore was going to put this all away for later, he could at least do the same. He sighed. "Alright. Alright, fine. We'll do it your way."

"Great! Let's get out of here."

"But we only just got here!"

"Yeah, but this was to get away from the people," Mizore grinned back at him, "I'm not the fancy fashion type."

Ikko smiled along with her. "I knew it."

* * *

The arcade awaited them with open doors and glaring lights. Neon shocks of colour spattered the gaming centre as the largest collection of machines Ikko had ever seen sprawled before them.

"Warm in here…" Mizore huffed, fanning herself. She reached for a fresh lollipop, finding only a handful left. Between the cramped city and the long walks, her supplies were dwindling fast.

Ikko scanned the arcade. Though not as busy as the streets and shops, there were enough people to sing a low hum beneath the roar of the music. "Where shall we start?"

"Drinks." Mizore said, making a beeline for a vending machine. Ikko watched her go, spotted a change machine, and went to get money for the rest of the day.

His phone buzzed. Another text.

Ruby T.: Make sure she checks her phone

Ikko frowned at the text. He didn't want to ignore it, more specifically he didn't want to ignore Ruby, of all people, but knowing part of Mizore's intent for escaping Yokai gave him pause.

"I didn't know what you wanted."

"Gah!" Ikko yelped. Mizore appeared at his side, two cans in hand. He nearly dropped his phone. "How do you _do_ that?"

"Same way I get up to the sixth-floor dorm," she shrugged. "Practise."

He clutched his chest. If they were in this together, he should at least consult with his escapee partner. "Ruby texted. She wants you to check your phone."

She made a noise of feigned interest. "That's nice. You got change?"

"Y-yeah."

"Great. Swap you?" She exchanged can for coins, and together they looked for games to play.

"How long have you been playing for?" Ikko asked.

"Long as I can remember," Mizore pressed the can to her forehead, "Mom used to get on my case, but she's given up on that part of my life."

"She sounds intense."

"Kinda… everyone's been a bit intense recently," she looked past him, "How're you with racers?"

They made their way to a racing game complete with driver's setup. A few laps in, Ikko spied an advantage; Mizore's reflexes were far sharper than his. She twitched and shifted with absolute precision, of a kind earned outside of a few sharpshooting trophies online. Giving up on his prospects of beating her, Ikko turned to conversation. "How come everyone's on your back?"

"Trying to distract me?"

"No!" Ikko crashed. He sighed. "Yes. But only in part!"

Mizore leaned back, keeping one hand on the wheel as she reached for her can. "It's Tsukune, mostly," she replied, with a pained grimace, "He's worried about me. I've been avoiding them for a long time, now."

"Did you fall out?"

"Not exactly. He…" Another grimace. "He made his choice."

"To go to Aichi?"

At this, she laughed. "No, not to go to Aichi. After we graduated, everyone except Yukari and Ruby went their separate ways. Kurumu went off to model – I think she's in Tokyo, actually. Gin's running Under Moonlight. Koko and Su are still students, but we don't talk so much anymore, and I…"

"You…?"

"I spent some time at home." Mizore twisted the wheel suddenly, skidding across the finish line.

"Show off."

She grinned, turning properly to face him. Ikko checked to see if anyone else wanted the seats, then did the same. "I wanted time to figure things out."

"Because of him?"

"Sorta." Mizore smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "It's not their fault. It's my problem to sort, so I try not to bug them with it."

"You still haven't told me what it is," Ikko noted.

She closed her eyes, letting her face fall. "Ikko, don't make me spell it out. You've spoken to Ruby and Su – they've told you."

"They haven't. They both told me to figure it out."

"And?"

"Honestly, with Masumi, Kotsubo and Tayama, I've not had much time to think of anything."

"I don't see any of them here." Mizore said, quietly. "Go on. Figure it out."

It didn't take long. The answer surfaced within moments of putting the photo, Mizore's behaviour, and his questions together. He felt a great pang of chastising idiocy, and noted his realization with a quiet, "Oh."

"Yeah," she added, with a sting, "Oh."

"Sorry."

Her hand waved. "It's okay. Like you said, you had a lot on your mind – and really, you shouldn't be obsessing over anyone's love life but your own."

"Who said I'm obsessing?"

"I don't know. Who's the one asking after me to all my friends?"

Ikko flinched, retreating backwards. Mizore's eyes widened as she tasted the venom of her last accusation. "No – that was uncalled for. I shouldn't have said that."

Were it not for the music roaring overhead, the silence would have been uncomfortable. Instead, he offered a rematch whilst he formulated the words he wanted to say – if he had any. They raced again in silence, and this time Mizore beat him soundly. He sighed. "I'm beginning to sense a theme to this."

"Really?" Mizore quipped, "What would that be?"

"Very funny." Ikko frowned. This time he left the seat, grasping his can. As they contemplated what to play next, he found his words. "Hey, Mizore?"

"Hm?" She spun to look at him. For the first time, he saw her brow relaxed, her eyes alight with unfettered enjoyment.

"I, uh- about asking Ruby and that."

"Yeah…?"

"I only asked 'cuz you looked so sad." He mumbled.

"What? I can't hear you." She tipped her ear towards him, shuffling closer.

Ikko scrunched his eyes. "I only asked because you looked so sad all the time. Wouldn't you do the same?"

A torrent of expressions flashed across her face. Ikko watched them – confusion, concentration, surprise, pain, restraint drowned her eyes all at once. Her eyes wordlessly flickered, as if the words were spelled out before her and she couldn't grasp the sight. Ikko began to open his mouth in apology, dreading that he had pushed too far, when she finally reacted. She threw her arms about him in the span of a breath, crushing Ikko against her.

Ikko froze. He yelped, spluttered, coughed, for she had simultaneously rendered him speechless and crushed the breath from him. "Mi-Mizore!?"

She didn't move. Ikko gasped, surfacing from the sudden embrace like a diver coming up for air, then with his breath held placed his arms carefully around her shoulders. She smelled sweet, the crisp sweetness of a winter morning, not overly honeyed or treated. He felt a faint vibration against his collar bone, and realised she was trying to speak. "What was that?"

Mizore released him, stepping away. Her cheeks burned, and he thought he spied the streak of a tear; she stifled both with a furious rub of her sleeve, hiding her face from view. When her face reappeared, her smile survived, as well as the barest hint of a blush. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Ikko parroted, stupefied, "Wuh-what for?"

"That." She gestured to the space between them. "I… um. I didn't realise how much I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome?" She laughed. Confused, Ikko straightened his clothes out, grounding his senses and trying to focus on something that wasn't the woman who'd just embrace him. "Shall we, um… play something else?"

Mizore shook her head. "No. I have something I need to do."

"You do?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him, and there was a soft, unspeakable something in the way she looked that twisted him worse than Kia's closeness had ever managed to do, "Do you mind if we head to the hotel a little earlier than we planned? I'll order us some food."

Ikko gawped. What on earth could she want the hotel for? "U-um… sure. Sure. That's fine. I think?"

* * *

By the time the bus rolled up to Tsukune's apartment, the day had sunk into a comfortable evening half-light. Ruby and Yukari alighted a short walk from the complex proper, trying to see which of the group would be there to guide them. "I can't believe this is the first time we're visiting," Yukari commented, adjusting her hat.

"We've normally got a bit more time to prepare, don't we? This was supposed to be for us three."

"I know, I know," the younger witch pulled the hem down to hide her face, "I said I'm sorry, didn't I? I didn't know we were supposed to keep this to ourselves."

Ruby exhaled. The cool night air felt good on her exposed shoulders, welcoming despite the cruel, hard stone of the city around them. To be so far from the natural world, to have it crushed and buried under everything manufactured, would set a younger witch on edge. Even now she felt the smallest unsettling in the seat of her soul. "What's done is done. Did they say who was coming out?"

They didn't have to wait much longer. Yukari pointed out to the middle distance, and there Ruby saw a tall, lean man dressed in a navy open-collar shirt. He swayed with natural confidence, head held high, a tangle of black hair held out of his face by his distinguishing white headband. Pale green eyes gleamed mischief in the streetlight. "Well, well. If it ain't my favourite girls."

"Oh, please," Yukari pulled one eye down and stuck her tongue out, "We all know you've left your favourite females back with Tsukune."

"Now, now," Ruby giggled, patting the rim of Yukari's hat. "It's lovely to see you, Ginei. How is San?"

Ginei Morioka laughed. "Delightful as ever. She's come with!"

"Ooh, yay!" Yukari's mood pivoted on his words. Ruby, however, leaned in to give the man a one-armed hug, kissing his cheek politely. Gin's hand strayed no further than the small of her back; a response she'd taken great pains to cultivate.

"It sounds like we're missing all but one."

"No Ice Queen?" asked Gin.

Ruby shook her head. "She's… preoccupied, I'm afraid."

"She dodged," Yukari corrected, a tone of indignance. Gin met Ruby's eye. Pink smiled patiently into green.

"No prob. We're just about squeezing in as is. One more might be too cozy." He bowed, inclining his head and sweeping one arm out in a gesture of painfully proper invitation. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

They walked along towards Tsukune's apartment complex, exchanging the smallest of talks as they did. "Su emailed me," said Gin, as they neared the square, brutalist complex that Tsukune lived in. Ruby frowned up at it. Sure, it was cheaper for students, but did it have to look so uninviting?

"Oh?"

"Sounds like there's trouble afoot," Gin added, "She's askin' about a Yakumaru? Kid's messin' with people's emotions, she reckons."

Ruby frowned. "I distinctly remember Mizore telling them not to get involved."

"Kids will be kids," he shrugged, nonchalant, "I pointed her towards some of the YT back issues. We had a story about somethin' like it, once."

"Did we?" Yukari asked. Gin pressed the buzzer, which was almost immediately followed by a crackling welcome. Ruby couldn't pick out to whom the voice belonged. The lock clicked, and he swung the door wide.

"Ages and ages ago. Back when you were this high!" Gin stooped to place his hand at Yukari's knee. She huffed, incensed, and reached into the folds of her cloak. Ruby touched her shoulder, shaking her head, which drew out a louder laugh from the werewolf. Yukari blew her cheeks out, pouting.

"He only does it because it works," Ruby chided, as Gin's laughter covered their words. Harrumphing, Yukari swept after Gin, following him up to the second floor. Ruby followed at a leisurely pace, using it as an excuse to check her phone. She had texted Ikko to ask for his help in making sure Mizore was at least aware of her phone, but he hadn't responded. Perhaps he was party to her escape, now, and wanted to keep her away from all this. She thought this problematic at first, though she changed her mind when she reached Tsukune's door. If he was, that meant Mizore had opened up to him, perhaps even spoken truthfully about that matter. Were that true, it would be a stride in the right direction. She put her phone back in her purse as she stepped through the entrance, greeted by a raucous hello from three different voices. The two girls, Moka and Kurumu, detached themselves from a besotted Yukari and hurried over to the elder witch, embracing her tightly. "Hello, you two!" she sang, sweeping her arms around a shoulder each and kissing both on the cheek. "It's been so long!"

The three squeezed together before separating. Ruby regarded the pair of them with a brilliant smile. Neither looked too different from their last meeting; Moka with her flawless smile, strands of cherry-tipped silver hair swaying brilliantly over a shirt and black trousers; Kurumu with her bubbly, bouncing beam, an expertly styled cut of pale blue hair framing a full face, squeezing into a short-cut cocktail dress. In her regular garb, she felt slightly underdressed. "And where is he?"

"Here," Tsukune waved. Ruby slipped past the pair and took a sweeping look at the man. Full-grown now, his hair lighter than the once shock of black, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, "Ah, at last. Someone dressed normally."

Ruby looked down at herself. She'd picked a dress and wore a cardigan over it, sitting herself in the happy median of the group. "It's lovely to see you," she said, sweeping over and kissing him on the cheek, too, "How have you been? How are your studies?"

Tsukune nodded. "Well enough. That I have time for this is a miracle in itself, but I'm not complaining. We've got our work cut out for us."

Ruby nodded, knowing. For a man with such a great weight on his shoulders, he carried it awfully well. "Shall we step out for a catch-up?" she asked, remembering Mikogami's condition for allowing their use of the bus.

"Hey!" Kurumu whined, spying Tsukune nodding. "It's been like, five minutes! Can you keep work to yourself?"

"I promised!" She answered, apologetic. She pressed her hands together, pleading. "We'll only be a second."

They took to the balcony overlooking the campus proper. Up here, she could almost forget the smell of the city, and she took a deep draw of the evening air. "Mikogami sends his regards," she said.

"Does he?" Tsukune grinned, scratching the back of his neck, "Just his regards, is it?"

"Just his regards." Ruby giggled. "But he did ask how you're finding this little project of his."

He nodded. Having graduated from Yokai at the momentous time that he had, Tsukune had been uniquely placed to work alongside Mikogami in the slow spread of monster acceptance, helping humans and monsters alike bridge the inevitable and innumerable cultural gaps. The events of the last two years had changed the world, but humanity yet lingered under some illusion of their sole claim to the earth. It was his job, and the job of others like him, to make sure that the next time monsters and humans met, it wouldn't be so blood. "Slow going. Gin's website has been a real help, giving us a single point of contact for the local communities. No bloodshed just yet, but between studying, outreach and making enough to keep the lights on…"

"You're doing good work." Ruby patted his arm, encouraging, "And he'll be pleased to hear that. The human transfer project opens officially next year, and the government is in favourable talks about a similar outreach program for monsters in the human world. The curtain's rising, ever so slowly, and this helps us be ready for it."

"I'm still amazed they managed to cover it up so well."

"Never underestimate humanity's capacity for denial." They shared a laugh. After a moment, Tsukune cottoned on to the way she'd phrased her encouragement.

"What do you mean, it opens 'officially' next year?"

"Oh, you noticed?" Ruby feigned nonchalance. "Well, there was a slight hiccup in the system. We might have gotten our first transfer a little early."

Tsukune blanched. "You're kidding."

"He's in perfectly capable hands," she added, swift, "Mizore and I were appointed guardians."

"How's he taking it?"

"Remarkably well." At this, Tsukune groaned.

"I can't leave him alone for five minutes."

"As if you'd stop him." Ruby laughed more earnestly at the thought, "As if anyone could! I'm sure it will work out."

"Because it worked out so well last time?" His scepticism dampened the humour somewhat. Ruby decided on a change of subject.

"How are you two getting on?"

"Good. We're good – she's great." Even in the half-light, she spied the tell-tale dusting of his cheeks whenever he spoke about Moka. "But now it's my turn. How's Mizore?"

"She's fine."

"Ruby…" Tsukune trailed off into a heavy sigh. "Don't think I didn't notice. She's not hiding, she's not climbing up to surprise everyone."

Ruby looked away, back to the party. Kurumu made some muffled comment about Yukari's height, which earned her the slap of a levitating spatula. Moka sat with Gin and San, on the arm of a sofa that the pair reclined on. San, a short black-haired girl in a polka-dot summer dress, scribbled merrily on a notepad, which she occasionally raised to answer a question. A wonderful picture – but an incomplete one. "You're the only one she'll talk to these days." Tsukune pressed, and she couldn't bear to countenance directly the concern that ravaged his features. "We miss her, Ruby. We all miss her. She's a part of this family."

"I know…" Ruby sighed. "If Yukari hadn't spilled the beans about the change in plans, you might have seen her today, not that she'd forgive me afterwards. You know how she gets – this has to be on her terms. Push her too hard and, well…"

Tsukune's gaze hit the floor. Ruby's heart ached. For all his strengths, for how passionately, how tirelessly he worked to bridge the monster and human worlds, the loss of a friend crushed him greater than any failure on that front. She wrapped her arms around him again, pulling Tsukune into her shoulder. "I told her you might call," she whispered, "But don't jump down her throat, Tsukune. She wants time, she's asked for time, and we have to give her as much as she needs until she feels better. Let her know you're there, alright? Remind her what's waiting for her."

She ignored the sniff she heard into her shirt. Tsukune pulled away, smiling weakly. "Alright."

An impatient rapping on glass broke their conversation. Ruby turned to see Kurumu tapping her wrist. "We're waiting on you!" she shouted.

"Coming, coming!" Tsukune chuckled. "Sorry, Kurumu. We're co- oh."

Ruby turned, halfway between him and the door. "What?"

Tsukune stared at his phone. He turned it so she could see. "It's Mizore."


	22. Chapter 22

As she waited for her phone to turn on, Mizore stared at the black, backlit screen, her teeth clamping down hard on her bottom lip. She sat in the corner of the hotel room, legs drawn up onto the cushion in a tight cross and hunched over the tiny light awaiting its bloom into proper function.

Ikko reclined on one of the beds, headphones plugged in at Mizore's request. He tried his best to stay concentrated on his games. Whenever his curiosity got the better of him, he unhooked an earbud and opened his mouth to talk, only to think better of it and leave Mizore to her devices. The stalemate lasted until her phone finally burst into life. Mizore drew a sharp breath, disturbed by the rustle of the duvet as Ikko sat up properly. "What's changed?" he asked, "You were dead set on avoiding this, weren't you?"

"I was." Her concession took root in her stomach, twisting around her insides and tightening its hold. It was almost enough to make her rethink the entirety of the evening's resolve. "But you got me thinking about all this. About what I've put myself through."

He didn't understand. His brow furrowed in thought. "Whenever things got tough," Mizore explained, replying to his silent question, "They've been there. Always, without fail, even when it seemed like I had nothing left, I've always had them.

"Now I've gone and cut them out because of how I've been hurting, when they're the people who know me best. I should never have tried to push them away, not when all they were doing was trying to reach me. Trying to understand why I looked so sad."

She opened her contacts, scrolling until she found Tsukune's number. "Like you did, Ikko," she finished, smiling up at him, "You wanted to know why I was hurting, just like they did. If I can speak to you, then the least I can do is reach out to them."

He nodded, solemn in his understanding. He replaced his headphones without another word, going back to his game. Mizore hit the call button before she could think better of it, jamming the phone against her ear.

One ring. Two… what would she say? What _could_ she say, after so long spent away from him? How could he possibly respond, except with anger?

Three rings. Four. She was about to hang up when the fifth ring stopped short, and the sounds of wind on a microphone filled her ear. She picked out muffled chatter in the background.

"Hello?"

Her heart stopped. His voice was soft and cautious, as warm as the day they'd first met. Hearing it caused a rush of excitement that trapped her next breath, freezing the words she wanted to say in her mouth.

"Hello?" Tsukune repeated. "Mizore?"

"Tsukune." She choked on the syllables. Months of distance crashed together in the space of a few moments, and at last she could picture him standing on a balcony, smiling into his phone.

He sounded restrained as he spoke, as if holding himself back. Her free hand gripped her dress, tight enough to turn pale knuckles bare white. "How are you?"

"Fine," she whispered. Sniffed. "I'm okay. I'm okay, yeah. How are you?"

"I'm good," came the stiff answer. Then, more gently. "I missed you. We missed you."

She drew her knees up tighter. Her excuses for keeping away surfaced, rearing their wounded, bloodied heads with feeble cries of 'I was busy', 'I needed time', 'I was studying'. Mizore forced each of them down, plunging into the depths of her buried sincerity. "I missed you too."

Tsukune laughed, and for lack of anything better to say, she laughed with him. Mizore leaned back into the cushion of her seat, wiping her eyes with the palm of her hand. "You've been busy," Tsukune asked, "Ruby was telling me about Yokai's latest human?"

"Oh, yeah. The headmaster's mistake, of course," she sighed, "And he wants me qualified as soon as. Not that I'm complaining, but… I'm complaining."

He chuckled. "Sounds like you need a day off. Are you taking care of yourself?"

"You sound like Ruby."

"Only because I care about you."

Mizore bowed her head. "I thought I was," she breathed, "But all I ended up doing was making it worse."

"Making what worse?"

"You know-" a loud voice shrieked on the other end of the call. Mizore jerked the phone away, surprised and interrupted, as a woman's shouting carried over the line.

"Tsukune! We've been waiting forever! Are you coming to party or what? Who are you talking to?"

"Er, Kurumu – it's Mi-"

"Whatever, I don't care! C'mon, we're all waiting for you! Wait, did you say 'Mi'?"

Mizore laughed as Tsukune babbled his way through an answer. She cut through his noise by raising her voice, drawing a strange look from Ikko. "Tsukune? Tsukune! Put me on speaker."

"Okay- hang on, Kurumu, it's- no, it's not Miho, it's – there!"

"Kurumu?" Mizore asked. At once, the succubus's voice died, as if the name had been a dagger through the heart. For one glorious moment, silence prevailed. "It's me, Kurumu. Been a while."

"Mi-" Kurumu seemed to choke on her words, " _Mizore_?"

Her shouting heralded a great clattering and trumpeting of surprised voices as all swarmed out to the site of the call. She heard Gin and Ruby, Yukari and Moka, and strangled complaints from the man crushed at the centre. A jumble of questions drowned the call into incoherent static, making Mizore laugh – and before she could stop it, she cried in earnest, heart bursting with the joy of the reunion.

"Okay, okay!" she eventually shouted, causing Ikko to jump. "One at a time, please. God, you're all so loud…"

"Spoken like a true teacher." Kurumu huffed. "Where have you _been_? We've been worried sick!"

"I've been working. Who's there with you?"

"Tsukune, Moka – Ruby and Yukari, Gin and San! San's here, say hi!"

"Hello, San," Mizore choked, wiping her eyes. She waited for someone to read her response.

"She wants to know when we'll see you."

"Soon, I hope!" Gin hooted, "I miss my Ice Queen!"

"You'd miss anything with a pair of legs," she sighed, "Anyway, I- oh!"

She jolted, looking bleary-eyed up at Ikko. In one hand he clutched a fistful of tissue – with the other, he gestured to the door, mouthing the words, "Food's here."

"R-right. Thanks, Ikko. Sorry guys, I have to go. I ordered pizza."

She endured the collective groan, and made several promises to catch up with the individuals of her long-lost friends before hanging up. "Wait!" Kurumu cried, "Who's Ikko-"

Mizore hung up, sighing. She dabbed her eyes, blew her nose, then smiled up at Ikko. He watched her, a cocktail of concern and elation in his brown eyes. "I'm okay," she sniffed, "I'm okay."

"Sound like a lively bunch," he grinned.

"You were listening?"

"Was hard not to." An impatient knock at the door reminded them both of their meal. Mizore threw Ikko her purse, which he caught with a fumble.

"I'm going to clean up. D'you mind?"

He shook his head. Mizore darted into the bathroom, her mouth aching from the smile that relentlessly pulled at her.

They pushed the twin beds together and set the largest pizza box Ikko had ever seen between them, sides assorted according to orders and preferences either side. "How are we going to eat all this?" Ikko mumbled.

Mizore shot him a look. "Breakfast tomorrow?"

They snorted a laugh. Since returning from the bathroom, Mizore had found herself possessed by the same giddy cheer she'd once felt returning to Yokai as a student at the start of every year. Hearing her friends' voices again refreshed her, instilled her with an energy that she so desperately struggled to muster on her own. "Help yourself," Mizore gestured, opening the box and grabbing a slice.

Ikko quickly followed suit, but it became clear that his mind wasn't on the meal. After only a few bites, he spoke tremulously, tentatively, "H-how are you feeling?"

"Mm." Mizore swallowed. "Better, thanks. Sorry I made you cut things sort."

He shook his head, "I'm glad we did. You look better."

Her eyes closed with the smile that followed. "It's thanks to you."

Another shake of his head, vigorous enough to toss his untidy mop of hair back and forth. "This was you," he murmured, gesturing with his pizza, "You wanted to call them."

"I couldn't have done it without you," she disagreed, "You reminded me what my friends were always there for. What you've been there for."

Ikko suddenly took a greater interest in his food. Contended, Mizore helped herself to some more and they ate, for a time, in comfortable silence. Throughout this, her phone buzzed relentlessly. Her call has burst the dam; now all her Yokai friends, all those present at the call, drowned her phone with messages. She stuffed it under her pillow for the moment. Her friends could wait. "Did you have anyone like that?" she asked, returning to present company, "Back in the human world."

"No," Ikko murmured glumly over some garlic bread.

"No-one?"

"I got moved around a lot, with my folks and all. I had to go where business took 'em." He mused over the next bite. "There was this one girl, um… at my last school before Yokai. She was nice, but we didn't get much time before I got shipped off."

Mizore's brow pinched. "Lucky thing," she said, trying to keep them on the positive, "You've got the whole Writing Club, now. Yokai might not be the safest place for a human, but you have your friends."

"I do." He breathed, smiling down at the gap in his crossed legs. "And I have you, too."

She softened. "True."

Ikko finished his last few slices, growing more reticent – or more full, she couldn't tell – with every bite, then rested against the headboard of his bed with a slight huff. Mizore began to reach for her phone, thinking now a safe time to answer her texts, when he asked, "What are they like? Your friends."

"My friends? Like Tsukune?"

He nodded, timid. She regarded him, thinking – was this because of what Ruby had told him about Tsukune being a human? And what was that distant glaze over his eyes?

She looked at her phone, checking the time first, when she saw a photo attached to one of the texts. A smile crept over her lips. "I'll show you."

"Huh? Hey!" Ikko leaned away from Mizore, who began to crawl over to his side of the bed.

"Scoot – c'mon, scoot. It's no big deal." She plopped down next to him, brushing her hair back over her shoulders, and leaned sideways to put her phone in front of them. "See?"

Ikko's flinching eventually lost to his curiosity. He huddled closer, inching forwards to better see the photo. "Is this-"

"Yeah."

A collection of grown faces beamed and laughed up at them. Ikko's memory of the Newspaper Club paled in comparison to this photo. Each of them seemed so different, so… complete. Tsukune and Moka, arm-in-arm, smiled at the very centre. He almost didn't recognise them; Tsukune with his light brown hair, Moka with cherry-tipped silver, each leaning into the other's head. He spied two pairs of sharp fangs in their toothy grins. "I thought Tsukune was human?"

"Was." Mizore confirmed. "He's something… a little different."

"What is he?"

"Vampire," she pointed at Moka, "Like her. That's Moka – it was her blood that kicked it all off. Tsukune very rarely got out of things unscathed, and he was a magnet for trouble. If things got back, she'd inject her blood into him to speed his healing."

"So that's what Ruby was talking about." Ikko murmured. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Mmhm. It was touch and go in our first year, but Tsukune had some help mastering it. Now he's a full-blooded vampire."

"A vampire…" Ikko intoned, "Are they strong?"

"Some of the strongest," Mizore nodded. Still warm from her reconnection, she elected to move on before she succumbed to the wounds that dragged her away. "You've got Kurumu, there." She pointed to the woman squeezed into a cocktail dress, "You know Ruby and Yukari – oh, there's Gin. Gin Morioka, between Moka and Kurumu."

He considered the editor of Under Moonlight. Of the bunch, his smile seemed the readiest – and just where was his hand straying, sneaking behind Kurumu's back? "Who's that girl in front of him?" Ikko asked, pointing to the short-haired girl.

"That's San Otonashi. She'd graduated by the time we met her. She was in the year above Gin, used to run the Newspaper Club."

"That was your club, right? All of you."

"Mhm. I used to read it before I met Tsukune properly." She scratched her cheek, shuffling to get more comfortable. She set her phone down, bringing her knees together. "You remember my scrapbook? The one Kotsubo destroyed?"

"Yeah?"

"I asked if you read it 'cuz of the things I used to write in it," she admitted, "That's how I first got to know him – at least, an idea of him. I'd had a, uh… I didn't attend the first semester. Missed most of it because of Kotsubo. Miss Nekonome, my homeroom teacher, used to drop off the Yokai Times. I read some of Tsukune's articles, and they really stuck with me. He always sounded like the underdog, like he wrote for the weakest of us. Really struck a chord with a girl who couldn't even get out to class for how she felt."

Ikko daren't speak, not when Mizore was opening her heart to him in a way he'd never expected. This whole evening had been one revelation after the next. He tried to shift, for she had nudged her way into his shoulder, and sat so close that her head nearly settled in the crook of his neck, but even that carried the risk of disturbing her train of thought. Su's teasing playing like a skipping record in his mind, he tried to focus on the most important thing in the room – her words.

"I came out in my second semester to meet him. I'd pushed my luck, really. The threat of expulsion gave me a good reason to find an excuse. Figured I'd meet the guy who'd written all these wonderful things." She smiled fondly, reminiscing, barely aware of Ikko as she spoke. He knew she was speaking for her sake, picking apart the wounds that she'd tried so desperately to hide, letting them bleed their last. "One thing led to another. He saved my life from Kotsubo – he was none too happy to see me again."

Ikko made a small noise. His arm felt numb. He tried to move it, shifting ever so carefully against her side. She slipped closer, nestling into his side, letting his arm slip over her back to cradle her shoulder. Every thought froze where it was. "I fell in love with him," Mizore whispered, sighing, "Who wouldn't? A human surviving in a world of monsters, all the while trying his best for his friends. Trying to save them, trying to help them, filling their days with smiles. He's impossible _not_ to love. Even those who hated him ended up seeing his side."

"Sounds like the headmaster."

"You're not wrong. Even now, after," Mizore sniffed. "After he and Moka got together, he's still worrying about me. He knows why I'm hurting, but he won't let it rest."

"How long has it been?"

"They finally got their act together at our graduation ceremony," Mizore recounted, "But it was obvious from the end of our second year. They only ever had eyes for each other, especially after everything they went through. Seeing that – seeing them – it hurt, y'know? I knew, though. We all knew, but it still hurt. After graduation I went back to my mother's and didn't look back. I didn't know what to do with myself. They tried to stay in touch with me. Calls, letters, texts, invites, but you spend enough time ignoring anyone, they get the hint. Ruby was the only one who didn't give up."

"Why?"

"She's good like that. She knew what I needed, even if I didn't want to admit it. Turned up on my mother's doorstep one day and wouldn't leave until I promised to stay in touch with her, at the very least. Told me about the opening at Yokai, that the headmaster had asked for me, and the rest is history."

"History." Ikko chuckled. "I think they call that current events."

"Very recent history," Mizore corrected, joining his laugh for all of a moment, "So now you know. You know why I panicked when you showed up on my doorstep, another human stumbling into the world Tsukune barely survived. And to have Kotsubo latch onto you like that, so quickly. It was almost a perfect storm."

"Almost." Ikko agreed. "I didn't know if I wanted to stay, after that. But-"

"But?" She shifted. Ikko felt the familiar cold mist of her breath. He felt her eyes on him. He stared straight ahead, trying to keep his mind straight.

"E-even after that, you were there. So was Tayama, until – until she fed on me. And I- I wanted to repay that." He brushed his hair back, staring up at the ceiling. "Not that I could do much. I'm not strong, or smart. I've barely got enough sense to keep myself out of trouble, apparently. But I owed you."

"You don't owe me anything." Mizore breathed, and the chill of her breath stung against the warmth of his throat. He shivered.

"Maybe – but you were so sad, Mizore. I could see it. I'd seen it enough when I looked in the mirror. Then I saw what you looked like happy. Do you remember? In G.T.?"

"When you called me cool?" She laughed more properly. "Yeah, I remember."

"I wanted to see that again. If I could do that, then I could stay at Yokai." Ikko exhaled, the certainty of his resolve cutting through his nerves. "If I could make you laugh like that, then I could get through Yokai. Maybe even have some fun doing it."

Warm built in her cheeks. Her natural chill suddenly fought against a fire of blushing blood. She ducked behind her fringe and sat straight up, pulling her hair over her head in the guise of fixing it. Ikko jumped back, startled. "Mizore?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked, "It's nothing."

"Did I say something weird?"

"No, no! God, Ikko, no, you're fine. I just-" She coughed. "I need a drink. It's warm. Do you want something? I'll get you something."

She practically bounced off the end of the bed in her effort to get away, fleeing to the bathroom. Ikko looked to the bottle of soda they'd ordered with their pizza, abandoned to the floor, then stared at the bathroom door.

Mizore splashed her face with cold water, it's chill merciful on the blaze of her cheeks. She struggled to push the tangle of her hair back away from her face, staring into the mirror. Tired eyes stared back.

What was she thinking, getting so worked up over her student? Since when was Ikko allowed to spout lines about making her smile? He had never tried to be suave before, never even bothered sounding cool. The same Ikko that moped at the back of class and kept to himself with his games, telling her that he wanted to see more of her smile? It made no sense, yet she couldn't fault his sincerity.

She shook her head vigorously, her hair spinning out over her complexion again. Whatever he said or didn't say, he was still a student, and she a teacher. She had to hold fast to that line – or did she? Hadn't it been her idea to discard those concepts for this trip? Tonight, they were nothing more or less than Mizore and Ikko, friends sharing pizza. Right?

She caught her gaze slipping out of focus, dwelling on his words. Threatening to catch fire again, she slapped herself on either side of her face, willing herself back to the present. "What am I thinking?" she whispered, scowling at herself. Forget him and his words she instructed, corralling her scattered thoughts back into their usual composed, aloof collection. They would enjoy the pizza, chat a little more, then they'd push the beds apart and go to sleep.

Mizore caught her eye in the mirror. She nodded to herself. That was how it would be. How it should be. How it must be.

She turned back to the door, opening it. She met Ikko's gaze, and he brightened the moment they saw each other, smiling his nervous smile, hair only slightly less messy than hers. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded, feeling her neck creak with the stiffness of the gesture. "Yes. I'm okay."

His gaze cocked to the side, like a puppy hearing a noise it couldn't place. "You sure?"

"Y-yes." She wanted to disappear behind her fringe again. He could at least make it a _little_ easy to stick to her plan of platonic pizza, cordial conversation, and separate beds. That childish indignance carried her over to her bed, on which she sat cross-legged. Wordlessly, Ikko pushed the pizza box towards Mizore, now regarding her warily. She took a slice, gathered her wits about it, and started to nibble.

A glass crashed into her peripheral vision. Mizore turned to see Ikko leaning across the bed, holding out a glass of soda. "You left the drink out here." He mumbled.

Drink? Why did she need a drink? "Thanks?"

"Y-you said you needed a drink."

"Oh. I did say that." She took it, swigging. The fizz stung her throat. "Thank you."

"You're, uh, welcome."

She nodded. Pizza, chat, bed. In that order. Mizore finished her slice and set her drink down on the bedside table. Step one complete. Now-

"Have you cooled down?"

"What?" Mizore's pale eyes widened, fixing afresh on Ikko. Her voice pitched so loud that he blinked his surprise.

"Y-you said you were warm! Mizore, are you sure you're okay? You're acting-"

"I'm not acting weird!"

"You are a little bit!" Ikko argued, "First you were all, all _this_ ," he made a crude impersonation of someone curling lovey-dovey into another's side, "Now you're all _this_ ," another impersonation of someone sullenly sulking over themselves, shoulders hunched and face contorted in parodic misery.

"I'm not all anything," she replied, simply. Why wouldn't he stop asking questions?

"It _was_ something I said, wasn't it?" he added, "I'm being weird."

"You're not, I'm-" Mizore stopped herself before she admitted that she knew she was behaving strangely. "You kinda put me on the back foot, is all."

He didn't look convinced. She frowned, slumping back against the headboard. "I'm not used to this," she said, eventually, "Being close to someone. Spilling my guts. Ruby coaxes it out of me, but you – I got carried away. The last time – the last time I did something like that." Mizore winced. She remembered her last night as a student of Yokai. Bitter cold. Aching lungs. "It didn't go so well."

"What are you thinking I'll do?" Ikko returned, "Run screaming? I don't know if you've noticed, but we're both stuck in the human world until tomorrow. If I was gonna run, where would I go?"

"Run? Why would I think that?"

"Then what, Mizore?" he laughed, disbelief writ plain, "What's going on? You've told me what's hurting – you can at least tell me what's got you so worried."

Mizore buried her face in her hands. Damn him and his questions. "Ugh."

"Ugh?"

" _Ugh_." Mizore repeated, louder. "Fine. I got caught up worrying about this." She flapped a hand between them. "And the, y'know. The snuggling."

She saw him turn pink between her fingers. It played on his mind, too. "We're teacher and student," she continued, "We should be more like that. Right?"

A long, pregnant silence filled the finality of her question, the death knell of the warm, welcome mood in the room. She missed it almost immediately, though she knew rationally that it must be so.

"We're not." Ikko mumbled.

"Eh?"

"We're not," he replied, looking straight at her, gaze unwavering, "Not tonight. You said so. You wanted us to ditch all the Yokai stuff."

He spoke with the conviction of a man condemned to die, as if this were the last thing he might ever want. Had he enjoyed it so much? Mizore shook her head. "So?"

"So…" Ikko trailed off. Her shuffled back against the headboard, so he sat parallel to her, and looked across. "The 'snuggling' is okay. I-if you want it. If not, then, uh. That's fine too."

She hoped there was a pleading gleam in her eyes when she looked his way, begging him not to tempt her. It didn't take long to melt into a slightly mischievous smirk, as the memory of that warmth overrode her better judgement. "I should be the one giving permission." She replied – one last feeble defence."

"I can say something's okay if I want to," Ikko protested, meek, "It's up to you if you want to do something about it."

He caught her smirk and matched it with a dumb grin of his own. She sighed, surrendered, and settled once more at his side. His arm moved more readily this time, scooping her shoulder and holding her close. "You're warm," she breathed.

"Is that bad?"

She closed her eyes. "No."


	23. Chapter 23

Ikko stared at his reflection. He pushed his hair back, checked his uniform, and finally nodded to himself, smiling satisfaction.

Golden Week was over. They had returned to Yokai Academy without fanfare, and the last of the week had flown by in a haze of club activities and café breaks.

For the first time since he'd stumbled into this world, Ikko had started to feel like he belonged.

A hungry chittering broke him from reverie. His shikigami sat patiently on his desk, teeth clicking together as it expressed its desire for breakfast. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, reaching into the drawer and extracting a stick about the length of his finger, "There you go. Better?"

Was it his imagination, or did the spindly creature look a little flabby? Maybe the calm of Golden Week had given it time to relax. Once done, it crawled happily onto his wrist and took its usual form, eye blinking once before closing. Ikko brushed his sleeve down and left his room, joining the rear of the pack trailing down the staircase. Twos and threes chatted excitably about their brief break, either away or at home. Friends reunited and snapped selfies. He grinned as one student's guise slipped, causing a brief moment of chaos as the poor guy nearly doubled in size, bumping his head on the staircase above him.

For his part, he kept his hands in his pockets and his mouth shut until he hit the bottom of the steps, where the genders mixed. A full tide now pressed towards the academy, the return to school inevitable. Ikko ducked out to the side of the crowd, hiding by the side of the stairs to wait. He checked his phone as he did so, reading back the message from Su that he'd received on the last night of the vacation.

Su S.: we'll try etsuko again today

He could barely contain his excitement. His return from the human world marked an ecstatic turn of events in the form of Su pulling him aside one club meeting, out into the corridor.

" _I think I've figured him out,"_ she had said, _"And I think I've figured out what's going on with Etsuko."_

The chance to reclaim his friend burned bright in him, sparking his joy for the return of term. Had this been how Tsukune felt, he wondered? Working together with his friends to deal with the trouble that came his way? Aglow, he looked up from his phone – and in that same breath, the warmth sputtered to a dull ember.

"Ikko?"

Kia stood barely a foot away, her hair dishevelled from having to fight her way out of the now-dwindling crowd. She smiled nervously his way, lacing and unlacing her fingers rhythmically at her waist. "I thought that was you," she said, stepping forward, "Almost didn't-" Ikko took a reflexive step back. Her cheerful tone stumbled. "-recognise you…"

He opened his mouth. The memories of his state post-feeding gnarled into a glut in his throat, choking whatever he wanted to say. Hindsight made it worse – his feelings now, bright and happy and true, painted those first days of Golden Week in horrific, pallid shades. Knowing the cause, now, made fear his response to the withering girl before him.

She took another step. His back pressed up against a pillar. "Ikko," Kia whispered, "I know what I did. I know what I've done to you. I _know_ I can't make it up with words, but- but please."

Her eyes glistened readily with tears. Ikko finally found the sense to close his mouth, clearing his throat. "Don't run away from me," she pleaded, "You're all I've-"

"Tayama!"

Su's voice pierced the hubbub. A couple of students had stopped to gossip, drawn by the scene, and now they shot wary looks at the senior striding down the steps, her eyes fixed on the flinching girl. Ikko's heart leapt to see the satori; she made a straight line and stood between them, her back turned from Ikko to face Kia. Kia's eyes bulged, wild, and she backed away. "What's going on?" Su demanded, "Are you bothering Akada?"

"I didn't- I-I wasn't-" The tears flowed freely. Kia tore from Su's glare and fled.

Watching her go, Su set her hands on her hips and huffed. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Ikko blinked. Their entertainment over, the last students began to disperse, leaving them alone. "Yeah, I'm fine. She came out of nowhere."

"Figures she'd try to get you on the first day back." Su sighed. "Lucky thing I was here."

He looked to the space where Kia had stood. "She looked like she wanted to apologise."

"Maybe she did, but after what she's done…" Su sighed. "Listen, Ikko. I know people who have to feed. They don't keep it secret from their friends unless that friend's on the menu."

"Who do you know?"

"Moka."

"Oh."

Su turned fully towards him, "I doubt she'll try it again whilst we're walking. Want me to stick by you today?"

"No – I'll be alright. You have your own classes."

She smiled. "Okay. C'mon – we'll both end up late if we dawdle."

They started again towards the campus proper. His excitement to return a mere shade of itself, now daunted by the prospect of dealing with Kia behind him in homeroom, Ikko's feet dragged. Even remembering that they were helping Etsuko snap out of whatever Masumi had put her under didn't encourage him, though he did ask about it. "Not here," Su whispered, "I'll grab you on break, 'kay? We'll do it together."

At his homeroom, Su broke into a run, for the bell sounded as soon as they reached it. Ikko hastened inside, catching Mizore's eye as he did so. She gave him a look which he dodged, taking his seat near the back. He kept his gaze on the floor so as to keep Kia out of view as he took his seat. "We all here? Good." Mizore clapped her hands together, calling the class to attention. "Nice break? Relaxing?"

A murmur of assent sounded out from the class. Students who had mere minutes ago been happily chattering now looked at each other with mounting dread. Ikko watched the empathetic smile creep across Mizore's lips. "You all know what's coming. Midterms are a couple of weeks away. That means-"

The murmur broke into a collective groan. A few heads hit desks. In the din, Ikko dared to glance back at Kia, who stared out of the window, tear tracks still fresh in her makeup. He snapped back to staring at his desk. "That means!" Mizore shouted over her class. "You'd best get your revision in while you can. I want each and every one of you ready for finals, you hear? One year with you lot is quite enough, thank you very much."

Students laughed – that announcement out of the way, the rest of homeroom passed without incident. By the time the bell rang for the first classes of the day, Ikko had happily tuned out.

A shape shot past him as students turned back to the conversations postponed by homeroom. Ikko saw Kia beeline towards Mizore, grabbing her attention with a quiet call. He frowned after her – an expression that worsened when he realised that whatever they were talking about caused Mizore to shoot Ikko a very teacherly expression. He hurriedly snatched his phone up to give himself something to do.

Between class prep and club, he and Mizore had spoken barely a few words to each other since their trip to the human world, putting the matter of what had happened that night firmly out of their minds. If she had anything to say about it, she kept it to herself, so Ikko chose to do the same. Seeing her now, leading Kia into the quiet of her office, gave him a weird, uncomfortable jolt. Is that how it would be? Was their night as close friends just that; a night? Where did that leave them?

He started to push that thought from his mind, about to redouble his concentration on a particularly difficult stage of one of his mobile games, when Mizore's head poked out from her office. "Akada!"

Silence descended. All at once, the class looked to the startled boy at the very back. "In here, please."

Whispers followed him as he moved stiffly towards Mizore. Her expression didn't budge from frigid severity, not even as she stood aside to hold the door open. Ikko trudged into her office, spying Kia immediately. She paced back and forth, wringing her hands, her breath barely steady despite the obvious effort. She didn't look up.

He heard the lock click. "Okay." Mizore began, sighing. "Ikko-"

"Miss, I don't want to be here," Ikko said, before his fear took control once more. He didn't want to face Kia – not if it meant dealing with this wretched revulsion nestled at the very core of his being.

"Ikko." Mizore repeated, calmly. "Hear her out."

"After what she's done?"

She closed her eyes. The accusation stopped Kia in her tracks. Ikko heaved a breath, fighting to keep anger at the forefront. Anger gave him a voice, it gave him control, and how dare Mizore force him to-

"I didn't ask to be like this."

It took him a moment to realise it was Kia speaking. The broken, trembling voice quivered alone, so far from the memories bubbling to the surface. Her smile, her laughter, her teasing. She spoke again before Ikko could regain his foothold, stepping up to him. "You think I wanted this? Do you think _anyone_ asks to be born the way I am?"

The colour of her eyes flickered, giving way to rotten, watery depths. Ikko's breath caught – he stumbled back. "I hate it," Kia pressed, "I hate every second of it. Ever since I awoke, I've had to – to do _that_ , just to keep going. Just to smile when I'm supposed to, to cry when I want to, to feel anything even remotely close to normal. If I don't…"

The tears had stopped, or had they simply been swallowed by those monstrously deep eyes? Yet Ikko couldn't speak. He watched her outburst, transfixed. "My father," she spat the word with an unexpected viciousness, "Promised he'd stay out of it if I could control myself. Then Masumi happened, and you came along, and… and…"

"You decided I'd look good on the menu?" Ikko filled in, folding his arms tight around his chest. He heard Mizore shift uncomfortably behind him.

"I didn't _decide_ anything!" Kia cried, "I'd never do that, not on purpose! I'd been skipping the days I was supposed to go out. I thought I'd be good and I-I was, but then we had that night together and I just… I lost control."

He was dragged back to that night. Closing his eyes to the warmth of her touch and the sweetness of her scent – waking to a cold shock, a chunk of ice gouging out his insides. Realization hit him like a brick. "That was you! You were feeding on me while I slept!"

"I couldn't help it!" she pleaded, "I knew what I'd done, but you blamed it on a nightmare when you woke up, so I didn't say anything. I hid in my room, b-but then you showed up again…"

Ikko turned on the spot. He started pacing, hoping to corral his thoughts – or at least burn some of this frantic energy that threatened to crush his ability to speak. He caught sight of Mizore as he spun, seeing a deep conflict in her gaze. It seemed she realized that this was worse than she had been told. She avoided his eye. "You're saying it's my fault?" Ikko whispered.

"No! Never!" Kia shook her head, frantically wringing her hands, "This is all so messed up… I would never hurt you like that on purpose, Ikko – you have to believe me!"

"But you did."

"I would have attacked anyone who came my way – don't you see? That's why I locked myself up! It would have been that woman who came looking for us, or Etsuko, or-or anyone who came near me. You don't know – you don't know how it gets, Ikko. That instinct…"

"Instinct is instinct." Mizore interjected. His gut wrenched as he recalled her words.

" _It might not be the lion's fault – but that doesn't stop them munching on antelope all the livelong day. Instinct is instinct, Ikko. Yokai was established, in part, to help young monsters learn to manage their drives. Some of these kids have never seen a human before."_

He glared at her, then rounded his glare on Kia. "You just want me to forget this happened? Go back to how we were?"

"I hurt you," Her voice quaked, "I hurt you so bad – I know. My father, he- he showed me what happens if we lose control. To think that could have been you… but I won't let it happen again, I swear. I'll do whatever you want, whatever you need to do to feel safe. Just give me a chance, Ikko, _please_. I'm begging you."

Ikko swallowed. He wanted to turn away, to run, to abandon this dreadful memory and go back to the Writing Club. He levelled his gaze with hers, his eyes brimming with bitten back fury. Her rotten, mangled blues stared back, the sign of her failing guise, her fractured composure. He understood, with a jolt, that she had spoken this all sincerely. He knew her well enough to know that no amount of practise buried those eyes when it mattered.

He took a deep, steadying breath. His anger began to fade, its tongues still flickering over his charred tongue as he tried to find the words to mask his fear. "We start fresh," he said, voice creaking under the weight of his caution, "Not a clean slate, but- slowly. That's all I can promise."

"Ikko-!"

"And if you _ever_ ," he interrupted, taking a step back to her thrust forward. Mizore pushed off the door, "If you _ever_ do this again…"

"I know." Kia sniffed. "I'll show you, Ikko. You can trust me, I swear."

He let his shoulders slump. "Alright," Mizore ventured, unlocking the door. "Kia, go… go clean yourself up, okay?"

Kia bowed. She looked at Ikko as she left, nodding once and smiling faintly as she vanished through the door.

Mizore turned the lock again. Ikko's knee buckled; he clambered into the nearest seat, chest heaving. "What the hell, Mizore?" he groaned, "It's the first day back!"

"When else were you going to do this?"

"Never!"

"Exactly," she leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, "You couldn't let that hang over you, Ikko. You knew it was coming."

"You didn't have to force it on me!"

Mizore arched a brow. He reeled his volume back in his next words. "She damaged my soul," he said, "That's what Ruby said – my soul. How am I supposed to forgive that?"

"Maybe you don't," Mizore replied, "Maybe this doesn't work out, but you had to at least try. You can't spend Yokai shutting anyone who's remotely dangerous out of your life. We're monsters – it comes with the territory."

"You're monsters." Ikko corrected.

"Yeah, but you're on our turf." Her counter didn't miss a beat. She grabbed the chair from behind her desk and dragged it over to where he sat, setting it in front of her. "You're playing by our rules, Ikko. Monsters get hurt. Some monsters feed. You accepted that when you signed up, remember?"

He dropped his head into his head, sighing all the heavier for the truth of it. "One day," he grumbled, "Just give me _one_ without mortal peril. Is that so hard to ask?"

"Maybe," Mizore breathed, "But you're forgetting something important."

"Do enlighten me."

She reached out to brush his hair back, in the same motion pushing his forehead so that his eyes lifted from his palms. "Any funny business, and she'll have me to answer to."

Ikko's cheeks flushed. Her cold touch threw his burning blood into sharp relief. He willed it to cool, eyes dropping once more to the floor, and sat up properly. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours," she replied, simple, "The side that sees you enjoying your time here, anyway."

Ikko huffed. "It doesn't feel that way."

Her eyes rolled. "Ikko, can you imagine what it's like for her? Just for one second?"

"I can't-"

" _Try_ ," she snapped, with a sudden shift in tone, "Did you hear what she said, at all, or were you so focused on your own hurt? She said her father showed her what happened when her kind loses control."

"Yeah…?"

"What do you think that means?"

"It means," Ikko began, but his certainty failed under the slightest scrutiny. His stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. He covered his mouth. "Oh, god."

"Exactly." She pressed. "You're not the only one with scars from this, Ikko. Any monster in that position is gonna struggle their whole lives, and not just because of how they look."

The quiet drenched the last embers of pestilent spite. Ikko shuddered. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"You move on," Mizore suggested, "You both move on, and you help each other do it. That's what friends are for, right?"

He found shame in the smouldering remains of the conversation. "I didn't even think…"

"Sometimes we don't," she finished, "But what's done isn't important – what's important is what happens next."

He chuckled, hollow, and shot her a wry look. "When did you get so wise?"

"I _am_ a teacher," she countered, feigning indignance, "And I had some help over the vacation."

"Oh, did you? From who?"

"Who do you think? C'mon," Mizore jumped to her feet, "You're already late to your next class."

"That's your fault!"

"Good thing it's my class then, hm?" she beckoned for him to stand, "Out you get!"

* * *

Kia returned to her seat part-way through Mizore's lesson. Ikko wasn't the only person to take note, he saw, of the puffy eyes and bowed head of the usually bubbly girl. She took her seat behind him with no comment on greeting; he tried a smile as she passed, but she either didn't see it or didn't acknowledge it.

The class itself proved worse than anything they'd suffered pre-break. Mizore had doubled down on her warning that one year in her class was quite enough. Struggle as he did with the material, he found himself smiling; a kind of confidence carried her that he had not seen in their first lessons. He wondered if she'd received the results of her exam.

His mind wandered the more the class dragged on, wanting to be studying less and less, and dealing with Masumi more and more. He felt proactive, determined – an extremely rare combination these days, especially given Kia's upsetting reappearance in his life. He frowned, skimming the same line his textbook a third time. Break wasn't until lunch. It seemed like fifty years would pass, and the matter of Masumi still would not be addressed.

Compelled by that increasingly nervous energy, he spun in his seat to face Kia the moment the bell rang. He took Mizore's words to heart; they had to move on, both of them, and he had to make the first move. "You coming to club after school?"

"Eh?" Kia looked up. "Club?"

"You didn't quit, did you?"

"N-no, but-" she fidgeted. Ikko forced a smile.

"Don't worry about Su. She'll understand once we explain."

"Are you sure?" she whispered, "Really? I didn't think you'd want me there."

"I'm sure," he nodded, "And, um… I'm sorry. I got angry – I didn't even think about what you were going through."

"What're you talking about?" she hissed, "Ikko, I don't blame you for a second."

He smiled, sincerely this time, and stuck out a hand. "We good?"

She stared at it. He saw her eyes flicker; it lasted for all of an instant before her baby blues shone with relief. She grasped his hand tight, squeezing. "Yeah. We're good."

He turned more properly to face her, swinging his chair about and leaning on her desk. "How was your vacation?"

"Oh, you know," Kia shrugged, "Fine. Father was glad to see me, I'm sure."

Ikko stumbled. He regretted asking it the moment he saw her eyes glaze over, but the topic was in the air now. "Do you not get along?"

"Not really," she sighed, coming to rest on the desk. She put her head in one hand. "Mom died when I was pretty young, and my father wanted to raise me in a manner befitting our nature. When I first started showing my mother's side, that became impossible, so he shipped me off to Yokai's elementary school."

"How so?"

She dipped her voice. "Can we not talk about this?"

"R-right, sorry."

"It's okay. I don't like thinking about him unless I have to."

Ikko nodded, understanding. Though he remained sure that his quarrels with his parents were no more than trivialities next to Kia's, he still didn't like mentioning them. "Did you say Yokai has an elementary school?"

"Mmhm," Kia nodded, "They have everything up to college, and they run an orphanage, too. Lots of kids whose parents can't cope end up there."

"Must be rough."

"It's not so bad. Etsuko's from there, and she turned out alright."

His stomach gave an unsteady lurch. How would he broach Etsuko's new relationship with Masumi?

Kia must have spied his expression, for she asked what was bothering him. Before he could give anything close to a proper answer, however, the bell rang and their next lesson – Maths – commenced. As they settled into the next hour, Ikko clenched his jaw and steeled himself. Su would meet him after the lesson, and together they would face Masumi and… what, exactly?

He hadn't thought about that bit, as excited as he was by the prospect of Su's supposed way to deal with him. What had she discovered – and how would they use it? Even if they could use it, could they do so on campus, in full view of teachers?

Ikko shook his head, chastising himself. He had to be ready, had to be sure if he wanted even a snowball's chance in hell of doing anything to help Etsuko. Such was his distraction that he nearly didn't stand when called on to answer a question, and gave only a half-hearted shot at solving the equation when presented.

" _Really_ ," snapped the teacher, Miss Kagome, "Is this how you want to start your midterms, Akada?"

"No, ma'am," he replied, taking his seat again. He'd heard on the grapevine that Miss Kagome had a unique tutoring style for struggling students, the thought of which made him tremble. He tried to concentrate on the lesson as it dragged. Thirty more minutes… fifteen… five…

Ikko nearly bolted ahead of the bell as he counted down the last seconds of Maths. As expected, Su poked her head into the classroom the moment break began, smiling his way. He gathered his things. "Where are you going?" asked Kia.

"Oh, uh-" Ikko's heart sank. He couldn't ask Kia to get involved, not with Masumi. The last thing she needed was more upsets on her first day back. "I've got something to do with Su. I'll try and talk to her about club, alright?"

"Mm. Sure." Kia smiled, weak, "I've got my phone if you need anything – oh, wait. Did you get yours sorted?"

He nodded. They exchanged numbers before he hurried off to greet Su.

He was halfway past the teacher's desk when a firm hand gripped his shoulder. Miss Kagome peered down at him over the bridge of her glasses. "Akada."

"Miss Kagome!" Ikko yelped. Some of the nearby students sniggered at his fright. "I-I'm sorry about before. I got a little distracted."

He tried his very best to keep his eyes locked on her large-lensed glasses, for she favoured shirts that could be charitably described as form-fitting. He cleared his throat. Miss Kagome continued to stare. "If it happens again, you'll be seeing me after class. I can't be letting one of my students slip off the wagon, now can I?"

"Yes, of course. Absolutely. Won't happen again."

She brightened, full lips pushing into a happy smile. "Miss Tojo of Campus Security wished to see you after break. You'll be with her for G.T., is that clear?"

Ruby? What did she want? With so much on his plate, Ikko very nearly forgot his meeting with Su, until the satori cleared her throat. "Yes, of course. G.T. after break. No problem. Thank you, Miss Kagome."

He yanked away from her hand and hastened to Su's side. She shot him a knowing grin. "Still struggling with your Guise, eh?"

"You know how it is…" Ikko mumbled, following quickly after her.

They didn't speak until they were shot of the campus proper, walking across the wasted grounds towards a building he'd never used before. Ikko vaguely recalled it from the map of Yokai Academy as the old student council building. It loomed in the dreary afternoon gloom, rotting wood and boarded windows wheezing groaning as they weathered the occasional gust of wind. It looked abandoned – but then so did the dorms on first glance. "So what do we do?" He asked, keeping step with Su's strides. "Why are we out here? You said you'd figured him out?"

"Oh, it's simple, really." Su answered, marching ahead. She spun on her heel to face him, her hair loose in the wind, ungloved fingers laced together.

Ikko hesitated. Su never went anywhere without her gloves. She didn't face the day without them, to manage the constant influx of emotional thoughts a simple graze with another student could cause. Why the change?

A cold shock gripped him as he saw a terribly familiar, willowy frame perched on the porch of the old student council building. Masumi sprang to his feet as they approached.

"We don't beat him, Ikko," Su sang, "We _join_ him."


	24. Chapter 24

"Join him?"

Ikko staggered. Su's smile stuck to her, a poor painting of joy over her usual thoughtful curl. Behind her, sauntering ever closer, Masumi spread his arms with a triumphant grin.

"Don't give me that look, Akada." He sneered. "I only want to talk."

Panic rose like a wildfire – it took the strongest of efforts to will it into something he could control, something he could act on. Ikko took a heavy breath. "About what?"

"This," he gestured around them, arms sweeping in a gesture that encompassed all gathered, "Us. All I've ever wanted is to be friends, Akada. With you. With Etsuko. With everyone I've ever met."

He paced, circling around Su and placing a hand on her shoulder, which she leaned into. The sight sickened Ikko. Her determination to put a stop to him had been the one thing that encouraged him to fight. What could have changed? He willed himself to find a retort. "P-pretty poor way of showing it."

"Is it? I thought if I convinced Etsuko and Sasahara here of my points, you might learn to see reason." Masumi chuckled. "What drives your hatred of me, Ikko?"

"Hate?" he took a few steps back.

"You don't hide it," Su chimed, "He told me about how you shouted him down, when all he wanted to do was warn you about Kia."

Ikko's foot slipped into the earth. He yelped, horrified, as he found the ground twisting about his feet, swallowing him up to the ankles. Even worse, something gnarled and rough twisted around his ankles, locking him tight. "Ah, my apologies!" Masumi continued to laugh. "That'll be Judo. I asked him to make sure you heard me out, this time. He's a very practical person – well, I suppose you might call it _natural_ for him."

Judo lurched out of the ground between them, ambling over to Masumi, who clapped him on the arm. "You call this natural!?" Ikko grunted, trying to wrench his foot out of the ground. No luck.

"Don't be rude. He's a jubokko," he replied, sweeping his hair out of his eye, "Something of a kindred spirit with myself, actually. Nature's his playground. Anywhere something's grown, or has grown, he has the advantage. Now, Akada, are you finally prepared to listen?"

Ikko looked once more to Su, despair taking hold. He started – Su's eyes showed the same glassy look Etsuko's had, when they'd spoken alone. He tried to mute the shock by redoubling his effort to free himself, the first scraps of a plan coalescing in his mind. He scrabbled at the earth, fingers tearing at the dirt. It did nothing but reveal the roots twisting around his feet. He groaned, falling back on his rear to take a seat, and looked up at Masumi. "You've not given me a choice."

He was amazed to hear the words come so calmly. Left with no other option, his mind fixated on this singular chance at a safe escape, an uncommon ease settled in him. He would do this. He _had_ to, for death was the only sure alternative.

"Good." Masumi didn't seem to recognise the change. He knelt in front of Ikko, placing his gaze above his without having to loom over him. "Ever since I saw you hanging out with Tayama, I knew I had to do something. She's not safe – but I'm preaching to the choir there, aren't I?"

Ikko stifled his reflexive glare. Masumi continued, "Things were tough for us over the break, and when she latched on to you after the opening ceremony, there was only ever going to be one outcome. She fed on me too, you know."

"Did she?" Up close, Ikko marked the hollowness that drained Masumi's glare, like someone had scooped out every scrap of empathy. Masumi didn't care – that much sang plain – but had Kia caused that?"

"Oh, yes, whilst I slept. Woke me up, mind, and I was none too pleased. That's why I worried when she got so close to you – it's how she operates. Gets all nice and cozy with her prey and then," Masumi snapped his fingers, "She's got you. Did you know she's a siren?"

Ikko nodded. "Well, she's only a monstrel," Masumi added, chuckling, "Nothing like the real, pure thing. I've heard they're some of the strongest monsters out there. No, it's her father's side that drags her down."

"That's what this is about?" Ikko asked, trying to peer surreptitiously over Masumi's shoulder. Su's eyes continued to glass over. If he could just tip the scales a little more… "Why you attacked me? Attacked Etsuko, Su? Revenge on Kia?"

Masumi's voice strained, pulled taut by the accusation. "I didn't _attack_ anyone."

"Oh, of course not." Ikko raised his voice. "You just _spoke_ to them, right? It's got nothing to do with this?" He made a show of clapping his hand on his arm, like Masumi had done to Judo.

Masumi flinched. "You don't know-"

"Oh, I think I do." Ikko grinned, grim. "Whatever you've done to them, you need to touch them, right? Some kind of drug to keep them docile?" He stared at Masumi, unblinking. Glaring. "That's all your twisted sense of friendship has ever been, hasn't it? Just a poison in the veins, numbing everything but their happiness – and it could only be because they like you, right? With your _winning_ personality, you don't need to do something as underhanded as trap your classmen to make them like you, do you? Why does Judo go along with it?"

Masumi's gaze flickered. He started to turn towards Judo and Su. Feeling the roots slacken ever so slightly, soaring with the thrill of the moment, Ikko raised his voice once more. "He _doesn't_ , does he? He's the one you've drugged the longest – and of course, it would never work on Kia. Emotions are her turf. She'd know the instant they're being manipulated. That's why you hate her."

"Shut up…" Masumi mumbled.

"She figured you out!"

"Shut UP!"

Masumi's fist lashed out, whipping towards Ikko. In the inhale he took to brace himself, he saw Masumi's eyes burn with the very hatred he so readily foisted onto his shoulders.

Ikko pulled back, his legs just loose enough. Masumi's fist swung wide, a blur across his eyes, and he stumbled forwards. "What!?" he cried as Ikko seized him around the legs, sending him toppling.

In the confusion he clambered to his feet and crawled, panting. A pair of hands grabbed his arm and pulled him upright. He staggered – and Su caught him.

"Are you okay?" she cried, "Are you hurt?"

Never had he been so glad to say so. "I'm fine," he spluttered, "I'm fine. I can't believe that worked!"

"What did you do!?"

Ikko looked to his left, where Judo now struggled to his feet. In a blink, the earth swallowed him. He had barely the time to comprehend the sight when Masumi's enraged howl cut through him. "You'll _pay_ , Akada! And you, you bitch! How did you break free!?"

Su's arms wrapped tightly around Ikko's. She spun, dropped to her knees. Swung by her strength, Ikko saw the shape of Masumi fly wildly past.

"He's no fighter," Su breathed, "Good. That's good. Ikko, stay down."

"What?" She let him go, causing him to drop properly to the floor, "Why?"

"He'll kill you if you get in the way," she replied, matter of fact. She reached into her blazer pocket and withdrew her gloves, slipping them on, "And I can't fight him if I'm protecting you."

He saw Masumi recover from his haymaker. Sharp, thorny protrusions split his fingertips, pushing the nails back. Root-like veins swelled and bulged at his neck. His arms splintered, growing ever-longer. "Can't let him touch me…" Su murmured under her breath.

"Su!" Ikko cried, "Below!"

"Shit – right!" She leapt. Judo's grasping hands broke the earth where she had been standing. She hopped away, light on her feet. "Jubokko and – what are you, I wonder?"

Masumi didn't answer, spewing a curse. Orange sap dribbled from bark-like fangs as he rushed her. Su clicked her tongue. She ducked under his swipe, tucking into a roll as Judo tried once more to seize her from below. "Ikko!" she yelled, "Get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!" he shouted, "Let me help!"

"You can help-" She dodged Masumi's next strike by the smallest of margins, his claw grazing her knotted hair, tearing it free. Dark brown whipped in the wind. "-by RUNNING!"

Ikko hesitated. He couldn't leave her – not now, when she was already outnumbered! What would they do to her! Panic swelled again, filling his ears with the familiar keening of his shikigami's cry. He swore, turning to run.

"HOLD HIM!" Masumi shrieked, sap spraying. A rumbling pursued Ikko's steps. Judo sprang, catching him by the ankle. Ikko fell. "You're _next_ , you worthless grub. Don't think I've forgotten!"

Su's foot collided with the side of Masumi's face. Her roundhouse kick landed perfectly, sending him crashing to the dirt in a heap. She exhaled. "Moron. Don't take your eyes off your opponent."

Ikko wrestled against Judo's grasp, but the moment Masumi dropped the giant surrendered, disappearing into the earth. Prone, panting, he felt the jubokko rumble as he fled the scene. He groaned.

Su was once more at his side, helping him stand. "Sorry, Ikko," she huffed, "I needed a distraction."

"Warn me next time…"

"That would defeat the point of a distraction," Su chuckled, "Can you walk?"

"Y-yeah, I think so."

"Good. Come on, we're going to Mizore."

"What about him?" he looked back to Masumi. He remained on the floor, groaning, cradling his cheek.

Su shook her head. "He wouldn't dare attack us in school. Campus is the safest place you'll be."

They took off at a jog, not stopping until Masumi was well out of the sight and the main building towered over them. Ducking into the shelter of the crowds – Ikko had never considered the safety of being surrounded by a hundred different monsters – they navigated to Mizore's class. Ikko checked his wrist. The shikigami continued to shriek, drowned out only by the hubbub of break.

Who wore it, he wondered? Who knew he was, or had been, in danger? He tried to slow his breathing, weaving his frayed nerves back into something that resembled composure.

They ducked into a quieter corridor, where Su pulled him to a stop. "What?" Ikko panted. "Why are we stopping?"

Su didn't answer. Instead, she threw her arms around Ikko, squeezing him tight. "You're a genius, Ikko. A mad, stupid genius."

"I-I'm not-" he tried to protest, but Su was both significantly taller and significantly stronger that he was. Crushed into her chest, it was all he could do to keep breathing.

"How did you figure it out?" she asked, finally relenting. She held him by the shoulders. "What gave it away?"

"Well, you trust Masumi about as far as I could throw him," Ikko mumbled, dodging her eyes, "And you… you trusted me. No way you'd given into him. I figured you'd have to be under the same thing he's got Etsuko and Judo under…"

She smiled, toothy and proud. Heartened, Ikko continued. "It's a poison, isn't it?"

She nodded. "It feels like your mind's swimming in syrup. Everything positive is amped to eleven. It takes a real nasty shock to break someone out of it."

"So, when Etsuko looked-"

"She's fighting it," Su confirmed, "You saw me, right? It's the same. You can _kinda_ feel like what's going on is wrong, but you're so doped up you don't care. When he tried to attack you, Ikko- God, I'm an idiot. I should have broken out sooner… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ikko whispered, "I'm just glad you did. Probably wouldn't have a face if you hadn't."

She chuckled. Ikko smiled. "Thank you, Ikko," she repeated, "I owe you one."

He found her arms around him once more. This time, he wrapped his weakly around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Okay," she said, "let's get to Mizore. She'll want to know-"

"Want to know what?"

They jumped apart. Mizore leaned on the wall nearby, holding her left hand up. Ikko saw the black bracelet of his shikigami's twin wrapped around her wrist. "Miz- Miss Shirayuki!" Su choked, "What – how did you-"

"My office," she snapped, "Both of you. _Now_."

* * *

By the time they had recounted all they had discovered and all that had transpired over both Golden Week and the break, the bell for next classes tolled. Mizore dismissed Su with a barely restrained, "I'll speak to you later."

Apparently cowed, Su slinked from the room – but not before shooting one last smile Ikko's way. He returned it.

"What're you smirking for?" Mizore's words cut, her tone sharp and unforgiving. "Ikko, what the hell is going on? What did I tell you? What did you promise me?"

"I know how this looks-"

" _What_. _Did you. Promise me?_ "

Deciding that perhaps now would be a poor time to object that said promise had been for Golden Week only, Ikko instead mumbled. "I promised I'd stay out of trouble."

"You'd stay out of trouble." Mizore said. "Is that what that promise looks like? Is that what my trust in you means?"

"What was I supposed to do?" he rebuked, "How was I supposed to know she'd been caught by Masumi? She was behaving normally until he caught me!"

"Why did you go looking to begin with?" Mizore shouted, "What did you think was gonna happen, waltzing up to Etsuko and challenging her like that? You practically painted the target yourself!"

"She's my friend!" Ikko yelled, his voice far louder than ever before. Indignance flared like a sun in his chest. "You'd do the same if it was one of yours!"

They glared at each other. Ikko's chest heaved.

A knock on the door reminded them both where they were. In a voice far more polite, far more teacherly than the context deserved, Mizore called out. "C-come in?"

Both breathed a sigh when Ruby's long, low pigtails swept into view. She looked at the pair of them, pink eyes agleam with surprise. "Perhaps we should keep the shouting matches to the outside of the academy…?" she suggested.

Neither of them apologised. "What's wrong, Ruby?" Mizore asked. "Ikko-"

"Is the problem, actually." She looked his way. "Did Miss Kagome deliver my message?"

"She did." Ikko frowned. "I'm supposed to be with you now, right?"

"Correct. Is Mizore keeping you?"

"Keeping him?" Mizore's exasperation twisted her question into a weapon. "Ruby, Ikko's fresh from a fight with a student! I'm not _keeping_ him; I'm telling him off!"

"A fight?" Ruby looked more amazed than horrified. "And you survived?"

"S-Su did most of the fighting."

"Did she?" Her brows arched even further. "Did you start it?"

"No! Yakumaru lured me out, tried to dope me with the same thing he's doped Etsuko with."

She looked at Mizore, her eyes silently searching. "I don't see the problem."

"He promised to stay out of trouble, is what the problem is!"

"Mizore-" Ikko began, hoping beyond hope that she would see sense. Ruby's laughter chimed over his complaint, surprising him.

"You made him promise to stay out of trouble at Yokai Academy?" she giggled, "Mizore, that's cruel! How is he supposed to do that?"

Mizore opened her mouth to argue, but her growing laughter disarmed her and Ikko both. Ikko began to join in, but a quick, cold look silenced that. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking down until Ruby calmed down. "Oh, my… I'm sorry, Mizore. No, don't look at me like that, I am! But what did you expect?"

"I expected him to at least _try_." She sounded like she was pouting. Ikko daren't check.

"The lone human at Yokai Academy, stay out of trouble." Ruby sighed. "That would be the day."

"Ruby," Mizore said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "This really isn't helping me drive my point home."

"What point is there?"

"Are you serious?"

"I am!" Ruby shook her head, "I'm absolutely serious. Ikko's going to attract trouble. If he can get out of it unscathed, that's a good thing! Even better if he has friends he can rely on, like Su."

Feeling more and more like he was being saved from the rest of the lecture, Ikko chanced a look at Mizore. She wore absolute indignation, and it did not suit her. "Mizore," he began. Then, more carefully, "Miss Shirayuki."

The formality snapped her out of her ire. She looked his way, confused. "I mean it when I say I didn't want to get involved," Ikko continued, "But Etsuko's my friend. And based on this, I know she doesn't _want_ to be in this situation, not really. Masumi's forcing her to like him – that's gotta stop. I have to help her. Don't I?"

Mizore sighed. Her shoulders slumped. "If you could do it without getting killed, that'd be great."

"Believe me, we're on the same page there." He tried a smile. To his relief, she quietly returned it.

"Fine. You win – but Ikko?"

"Hm?"

"No more planning without me. If you can trust Su, you can trust me."

"I only went to Su because you made me-" Ikko began, but he stopped himself short, settling on a nod. "Alright."

"Good." She looked Ruby's way. The witch was so busy concentrating on their conversation that she didn't notice immediately. "Ruby?"

"Hm?"

"Don't you have a lesson with Ikko?"

"Oh! Right." She shook herself from apparent thought, then levelled a smile his way. "Come on, Ikko."

* * *

On their way to the G.T. classrooms, Ruby turned and started walking backwards. She continued to smile in a way that gave Ikko the distinct impression she was hiding something. When he could bear it no more, he blurted, "What?"

"How was your trip to the human world?"

"Fine…?" Ikko puzzled.

"Just fine?"

"We had a lot of pizza," he recounted, shrugging, "It was nice to get out, I guess. Be back in that world."

"Hmm."

"What's this lesson for, then?" They rounded the corner and picked the nearest G.T. classroom. He remembered his first weeks in these, spent relaxing with Mizore as he acclimated to his new environment. "I have my Guise sorted."

"Oh, absolutely," Ruby agreed, giggling, "You don't need help with that. No, this is something the headmaster's requested."

Ikko stopped at the door. "What would he want with me?"

"Well, now that we know for sure you have a measure of magical talent," Ruby explained, "He wants me to help you maximise its potential."

"You're kidding, right?" Ikko frowned, "I could manage barely a tenth of what you can."

"Give it time," she assured, "It's like any muscle. There's some allowance made for natural inclination, but with the right training, you'll be able to manage some rudimentary spells. Simple barriers, masking spells and the like. It won't be much, but it could save your life."

"Can't I learn offensive spells?" asked Ikko, wondering if his life would be easier if he could simply sling a fireball in response to an attack.

Ruby frowned. "No, we won't be doing any of that. You're here to defend yourself, Ikko. Starting fights isn't a good idea for anyone."

"I was thinking about finishing them," he mumbled. Ruby shot him a graver look. He threw up his hands. "I'm kidding! Kidding! Mostly."

She sighed. "Have you practised since we last met?"

"No," he admitted, "I've been a little distracted."

"Alright. Well, come in. We'll use the time we have left to get you started on that."

Ruby locked the door behind him, and together they revisited the exercise of imagining his body in incredible detail, from fingertips to knuckles, knuckles to wrist, wrist to arm… To his great surprise, Ikko found the magic more readily than his first attempt. Now that the well had been tapped, he supposed the water that was his magical energy flowed more readily. Within five minutes, a swirling ball of green light coalesced into faltering life on his outstretched palm.

"Good!" Ruby exclaimed, "Let's see if we can't transfer it."

She guided him through the next part of the practise, transferring that magical energy to various parts of his body. He felt it move as a current of warmth, swelling first in his chest, then his stomach, all the way down to his feet, then all the way back up to his head, where he made the orb spring to life an inch above his hair. "Can you see that?" Ikko asked, "How do you know I'm not cheating?"

"Witches can sense magical channels," Ruby answered, poking the orb, "This is a lot more stable than your first attempt. I'm impressed!"

"What do I do with it?"

"For now? Nothing. The most important thing we need to do is strengthen the channels by which that energy flows. Too weak, and you won't be able to gather enough power for proper spells when the time comes."

"This is starting to sound a lot like exercise." Ikko said, wary, "Are you gonna demand I drop and give you twenty?"

"Physical condition _is_ helpful when stimulating the growth of these channels…" Ruby trailed off, "But don't worry. Your current physical education will suffice."

"Thank god."

They carried on like that for the rest of the short time allotted to this free period, Ruby instructing him on where to focus his energy with increasing specificity, Ikko doing his best to manoeuvre it. The effort it took surprised him; by the time the bell rang for next period, he had developed a healthy sweat and a throbbing headache. "Do one of those circuits every night before bed." Ruby finished, clapping her hands together, "You'll be meeting me twice-weekly for instruction and more dedicated exercises."

"Great," he tried to sound excited. Defensive spells would be useful, and the revelation that a lowly human could manage it should have amazed him, but something niggled in the back of his mind. He frowned. "Ruby?"

"Hm?" She was turned away from him, checking her phone and gathering her things up.

"You said 'now we know for sure', when you were talking about this," Ikko asked, choosing his words carefully, "Does… that mean the headmaster suspected I had this potential?"

He saw it, even if she didn't – the stiffening of her shoulders, the tiny pause in her breath. "Does it?" Ruby asked, keeping her back turned.

"Well, it makes sense," Ikko scratched the back of his neck. Trying to grasp for logic with his brain swimming in a fog of mental exhaustion made it hurt all the more, but he wanted to understand. He felt like he was finally reaching behind the curtain, understanding just why _he_ had been the 'glitch in the system' that Yokai allowed through, "You seeing my magical ability would be enough proof to know 'for sure', right? If he asked you to check, it would make sense for you to find an opportunity…"

It took a long time for Ruby to answer. When she did, she turned to face him, eyes meeting his, forcing honesty. "There's a lot this headmaster keeps from me, Ikko," she explained, "I won't lie – yes, he asked me to check, and I do as I'm asked as an ally of the academy, but I don't know why. He's even more secretive than the last."

"The last?"

Ruby blinked. "I've said too much. Ikko – and I mean this – keep this between us, okay? Can you do that?"

He said yes without hesitation, for this had been the first time Ruby had ever asked for a favour. She smiled at him. "I suspect that he'll reveal what he's planning if you make sufficient progress."

"You reckon?"

"He doesn't ask for anything without good reason," Ruby explained, "And whatever his machinations, he at least gives you the chance to back out. Remember? He asked if you wanted to stay."

That didn't come as a comfort, but Ikko nodded nonetheless. Mind swimming, the first taste of mystery hanging off the tongue of his ravenous curiosity, he allowed Ruby to usher him from the G.T. class and back to his normal day.


	25. Chapter 25

True to Su's prediction, Masumi did not show for the rest of the day. Ikko wanted to push the fight from his mind until he could reconvene with her and Mizore, but something that occurred over lunch put a firm stop to that.

Word about the fight hit the rumour mill.

He heard it first in the canteen. Sitting alone in the corner, picking at his food whilst dwelling on the significance of Ruby's words, Ikko had been thrown entirely from such thoughts when Kia slammed her tray down on his table, threatening to spill her ramen. "You _fought_ him?"

Ikko frowned but didn't deny it. There would be little point lying, least of all to Kia. "Not me specifically."

"What does that mean?"

"He lured me out with Su – Sasahara, our president. She did most of the fighting once she'd snapped out of that drug he uses."

"How did you learn about that?"

Ikko's frown grew more severe. That confirmed that she at least knew his method. "He got Etsuko with it. Su, too."

Kia paled. "Etsuko…?"

He nodded. "They're dating, but she has to be drugged. Has to be – it's the only reason she'd drop the newspaper. She loves that club."

Despair caught her first, wrapping its arms around her strangled cry. "No…!"

"Judo's in on it, too," he added, "At least, we think he is. Did he – did Masumi ever drug you?"

"He tried." Kia whispered, wiping her eye. "I'm immune to it, mostly. Felt a bit like the hit I get after feeding, but not as strong. He does it to everyone he's close to."

"Did he ever tell you what he was?"

She shook her head. "No. No, we never talked about that kind of thing. Not until, um…"

"What?" Ikko pressed. "Not until what, Kia?"

She tried to stave him off with a desperate look, but he couldn't stop now. This was too important. "He found out about my, uh- my-my habits. We'd just… he'd just… a-and it just sorta happened. I couldn't stop it."

"You fed on him?"

She nodded. Ikko's heart twisted. He'd hoped Masumi was lying about that. "Anything like _that_ drains me. And when you spend a whole year trying to avoid it…"

"What happened?"

"He was mad at first. I tried to explain," Kia sighed, "Remember how I said he got clingy over break?"

He nodded.

"This was that. He _did_ get clingy, but in the worst way. Kept calling, texting, saying we could work through it together, that it didn't have to let my father's blood define me. Like I was some… some tainted _thing_ he had to fix. Made me sick."

"You think it's because you're a monstrel?"

"Purebloods have a thing for mixed breeds. We're either abominations or diseases, and Masumi's no exception. Even before then, he was always going on about the 'rabble'.

"So I dumped him. Met you – and you didn't care. I mean, how could you care when you didn't know any better?"

Ikko smiled. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "And the rest is history," she sighed, "Did you finish him?"

"What? No! Su knocked him cold and we ran."

"He won't take that sitting down," Kia frowned, sulking over her bowl. She poked at the noodles, "You're in for a world of hurt if he catches you alone."

"Great," Ikko leaned back, pushing his food away, "Good to know."

Kia shrugged. "It is what it is. What did you expect, picking a fight?"

"I didn't pick a fight!" Ikko exclaimed. A table full of students looked his way. He ducked his head, hiding behind his arm. "He started it!"

"I'm not arguing that – but this is Yokai. Fights aren't that uncommon."

He was starting to see why Mizore had been so keen – or so silly, as Ruby had put it – to make him swear off trouble. One wrong mix in the wrong place, and the school was talking about the fight. He thought of Masumi's monstrous form, causing a cold shiver to roll through him. He looked to Kia, hoping to find some solace or advice, but found only puffy eyes and a weak smile. She was in no position to do more than what she'd already given.

Ikko sighed, trying to change the subject. "How're you feeling?"

"Worse than I was," she admitted, "I thought Etsuko would be busy with class, but if this is why she's ignoring my texts…"

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. We just have to deal with Masumi before he makes it worse or decides that killing you is worth the risk."

She stated it so simply that Ikko had a hard time responding. He cleared his throat. "Or that, yeah."

Kia closed her eyes, taking a long, slow breath. "Let me help."

"What?"

"I know him better than anyone – and this is really my problem. I started it. Let me finish it."

"Finish it?" He grimaced, "We're only trying to break Etsuko out of his grasp. It's not a hit job."

"How do you think this is gonna end, Ikko? Really?" Kia narrowed her eyes. "He's not gonna just let her go, even more so now that you've handed him his ass on a platter."

Ikko sighed. "We can't just stoop to his level, Kia. That'll only make things worse."

"How?"

"I don't know – how do you think students will react if they hear I've been laying the beatdown on anyone who threatens me or my friends?" Ikko heaved with frustration. "They'll all come looking for a piece of me. The more bloodthirsty ones, anyway – and we both know I can't survive that. We have to _prove_ that I don't mean any harm, so I can just… carry on."

Kia's shoulders slumped. It was clear that she at least considered his words, as difficult as it made the situation, "When did you get so wise?"

"Miz-Miss Shirayuki wants me to stay out of trouble," he answered, "It would be a pretty poor showing if I started making trouble for myself."

"She knows about this?"

"Mm. She forced it out of Su and I."

"So she'll be looking out for any more trouble."

"You could say that," Ikko murmured, not wanting to expose Mizore's complicity in any further plans against Masumi just yet, "I'm going to be catching up with Su later. I'll let you know when that is. Maybe we can figure something out before he tries to rip my face off again."

"Did you see his true form?"

"Mm. Have you?"

"No. He kept it under pretty tight wraps. He's always been good at maintaining his Guise."

Ikko sighed. All this talk and trouble had destroyed his appetite. "At the very least, if you hear anyone talking about this, can you try and set them straight?"

"What can I do?" Kia shrugged, "I'm just the bitchy ex. No-one's gonna listen to me."

"Don't be too overt," Ikko scratched the back of his neck, thoughtful, "Just… I dunno. Say you never figured me the type, or that I look too scrawny to pick a fight. No way they'd believe me going up against Judo, that's for sure."

She nodded. As he thanked her, Ikko spied Naoko and Nori looking for a table, and waved them both down, moving the conversation onto more normal things.

* * *

Ikko dropped onto his bed, doing his best to clear his mind. He wanted to get Ruby's exercises out of the way before anything else, knowing full well that as soon as he picked up his controller, that would be the end of his concentration. It almost cost him more than one homework deadline on more than one occasion.

He crossed his legs and furrowed his brow, trying to recreate the basic circuit of energy pulsing through his body. Beginning proved more difficult without Ruby's direction. He struggled to imagine her words guiding him through the connection of skin, tissue, muscle. Eventually, the image of a hand trembled in the grip of his mind's eye.

" _He's even more secretive than the last_. _"_

The words sheared through his mental hand, dashing his efforts. Ikko let out a grunt, annoyed. He tried to resume the practise, but each time some new thought drifted from the bog of his muddled mind, foul bubbles of confusion that splashed his face with a grimace every time he tried to burst them and refocus. Masumi, the headmaster, Mizore – so many questions! His groan turned into a growl.

"Easy there," Mizore chimed.

"Ack!" Ikko snapped to attention, falling back from his slouch. Mizore leaned on the windowsill, looking out over the campus from his vantage on the sixth floor.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked, a teasing smirk flickering across her lips, "You can try all you like, but that's your true form."

"What're you doing up here?"

"What I always do up here."

"Dodge responsibility?"

"Hey!" she chuckled, "This is my responsibility, too!"

The aftermath of their argument, such as it could be called one, yet lingered over his head. Ikko frowned at her, then swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood. He released his shikigami in the same motion that he used to grab his controller, handing it out to her. "Here y'go."

She looked at it like one might consider a slab of rotten meat, bringing her eyes up to his. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She didn't reach for it. Ikko gave the pad an insistent shake. "Ikko, talk to me. You're not mad about earlier, are you?"

Was he mad? He couldn't tell. He tossed it onto the bed, folding his arms. "No."

"Ruby's right," Mizore offered, "It's not fair to ask you to stay out of trouble. It'll find you whether you want it or not."

"I'm not mad about that," Ikko sighed. All of a sudden, he found looking at her difficult. A cocktail of their shouting match and Golden Week's confusion swirled and shook in his head, stifling his words. "I'm…"

"You're…?" she prompted, leaning forward. Reflexively, he stepped back. Mizore's tone quietened. "Should I go?"

"No!" he blurted, "No, um. It's okay. I just… I don't know. I think today's been a bit much."

She looked him over. Ikko saw something like empathy warm her expression, but he couldn't place why. She reached into the pocket of her hoodie, thrown over her work shirt, and proffered one of her lollipops. "Here. Cool off."

"I don't think they mean that literally," he sighed, taking it anyway. The sharp bite of cold mint spread through his mouth, making him feel more alert. "Kia, Masumi, Ruby, Kia again… did you hear the rumours?"

"Something about you taking Masumi down, yeah," she shook her head, "Not unexpected. You get into a fight, people're gonna talk."

"It's ridiculous. Who could look at me and see anything like a strong monster?"

"Looks can be deceiving. You don't need a twisted true form to pack some serious firepower."

Ikko shook his head. He tangled a hand in his hair, pushing his fringe back. A few months of inattention had caused it to grow well past manageable lengths. "Do we know what happened to him?"

"Well, I did my teacherly thing and checked in at the infirmary. Masumi got treated there but didn't say what caused it. Nothing major, just a bruised jaw. He'll be good as new by the morning."

"Great." Ikko pulled his chair out and slumped into it. He watched the shikigami nestle on his console, tucking its legs underneath its orbish body and closing its eye. Asleep, it resembled a small, hairy lump of clay. "So tomorrow, he'll have me marked for a blood hunt."

"Just stay on campus and in sight. He won't touch you there."

Ikko huffed, unconvinced. He continued to glare away from Mizore, who came to perch on the desk. Her hand brushed his shoulder. "Relax, Ikko. It'll be okay."

"Forgive me for not believing you."

"It will," she urged, "I won't let it be anything else, I promise."

He tore his eyes from his desk, forcing himself to look at Mizore. Her pale face looked almost serene, unmarred by naught except the smallest wrinkle marking the furrow of her brow. She, too, held a lollipop stick between her teeth, her lips set gravely in a look of absolute determination.

"How can you say that?" Ikko asked. "You don't know what he'll do."

"Whatever he can do," she whispered, and an uncommon edge to her tone caught him unawares, "Is nothing compared to what I've done."

He shuddered. Her severity cut through the noise in his mind, freezing the bog over. He nodded slowly, uncertainty still plaguing him, but not so much that it overwhelmed. "Alright."

She stood upright, sighing heavily as she meandered over to the bed, dropping down with a slight bounce. She kept her hands in her pockets. "It'll be okay," she repeated.

Silence swelled between them. Ikko burst it with a cleared throat, fumbling for something else to say. Questions he wanted to ask hung at the periphery – he held them close, waiting for the right opportunity to ask them. "Wh-when do your results come in?"

All illusion of calm control shattered. Mizore's shoulders slumped, her hair fell over her face. She fell back, letting her legs dangle over the bed, and let out a long, pained groan that sounded a lot like, "Whhhyyyyyyy?"

"Why?"

"Why did you have to _remind_ me…"

"They're important, aren't they?"

"If they're so important, why can't they mark them quicker!?"

"Ah."

"Ugh." Mizore grumbled, rolling onto her front. Ikko checked his phone, looking away from the bed. "It's the worst. I thought I'd never have to deal with this again once I graduated."

"You would have found the same if you went to university," Ikko pointed out, "Is that not what you would've done if you hadn't come here?"

"Not uni, no." Mizore admitted.

"What were you gonna do?" He blinked, surprised. "Didn't you have a plan?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Is that so surprising?" Mizore laughed once, "Do I look like someone with a plan?"

"You've hidden it very well."

"It's easy to hide behind 'I'm a teacher, back off', in case you haven't noticed."

"Harder to hide _from_ it, at any rate."

"You're not wrong." Mizore kicked her legs, restless.

Ikko steeled himself. It would be now or never. "Speaking of, uh… speaking of teachers…"

"What?" Her attention snapped to him – once more, Mizore slammed into full alert, turning to face him. "What's happened?"

"Nothing!" Ikko exclaimed. "Nothing, nothing. I was, uh. I was gonna ask about…"

"About…?" her prompting made it seem silly. What was there to talk about? How could he broach such a stupid thing? And yet he knew, for the sake of his sanity, that he at least had to air his feelings; get them out into the open, to be swatted down or pushed aside.

"About Golden Week."

Mizore paused. Her next words came very slowly. "What about it, Ikko?"

"W-well…" He stumbled. "The hotel. It was weird, right? What we did."

"You make it sound way worse than it was. A hug is a hug."

"Maybe, but still-" he looked down, "I guess."

"Does it bother you?"

"It doesn't _bother_ me, per se. Just…" Ikko fidgeted. He looked anxiously back to his console.

"We're friends," she said, "And you helped me through something I didn't think I could do alone."

"I didn't do much."

"You were there," she offered, "Sometimes that's enough."

Mizore smiled. Ikko met it uncertainly – it was a delicate thing they shared, whatever it was. He felt like he was creeping through a hall of fractured crystal. One wrong step, and this would be over. He didn't know much about this world he intruded upon, but he knew that the end of this sat very low on the list of things he wanted. "You're right, in a way," Mizore sighed, "Whilst we're here, at Yokai, we should at least _try_ to look like teacher and student."

"So no more of that?"

"I didn't say that," her smile shifted, "You look like you need one."

Ikko turned scarlet. "Eh?"

"I don't blame you," she laughed; he couldn't tell if it was teasing or not, "You've had one hell of a day."

Again, he felt the desire for one normal day surfacing. Nothing at Yokai had ever been _simple_ , but it could at least be quiet. He'd earned that much, surely? Ikko slumped over his chair. "It has…"

"Sounds like a snuggle is just what you need." Ikko shot her a scowl, which only compounded her laughter. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry. It's easy to get a rise out of you, y'know?"

"Uhuh."

"It's good," she assured him, though her continuing smile suggested that, perhaps, it was only good for her amusement, "Means you're honest."

Ikko shook his head. "Let's just play something."

She grinned, holding out her hand.

* * *

The next day found Su and Ikko sat alone in Mizore's office. She had offered it after club to avoid Naoko and Nori's prying. Neither of them wanted to involve first years in this mess.

Ikko sat with his arms folded, willing himself not to stare at his phone. He'd relayed Masumi's condition to Su, but no more, beyond mentioning that Kia would join them. He looked across to her, her eyes fixed on the door, her jaw set, mistrusting.

"It's an edge we can use," he tried, clearing his throat, "She knows Masumi better than anyone, and she's pretty powerful."

"I don't get how you can _trust_ her," Su countered, not budging from the door, "After what she did…"

"Did Moka ever feed on Tsukune?"

"Eh?"

"She's a vampire," Ikko said, recalling Mizore's telling, "And he _was_ human. Did she ever… lose control?"

Su frowned, caught. "That's not the point."

"Sure it is. Does he still trust her? His girlfriend?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts," Ikko interjected, "Kia's my friend, and I trust her. If it's enough for me, it's enough for you."

Su looked at him, her gaze odd.

Ikko matched it, his growing confidence enough to hold her eye. Eventually, Su nodded, and her posture softened.

Mizore and Kia entered, one after the other. "Sorry," Kia mumbled, "I wanted to check something."

"What?" asked Ikko.

"Etsuko," she replied, "She really is with him."

"I caught her gawping across the hall," Mizore explained, rapping her on the head, "Not exactly subtle."

"Well, we're all here," Ikko clapped his hands together, before Su could jump on the opportunity, "What next?"

Su reached into her bag, extracting a yellowed bundle of broadsheet paper. "Before he got me, I was doing some research into Masumi," she explained, "His name – Yakumaru. It sounded familiar. Mizore?"

"Mizore?" Kia looked at Miss Shirayuki. "Oh, that's you?"

"Yakumaru…" Mizore furrowed her brow. "Maybe. Jog my memory."

"I'll do you one better," Su unfurled the broadsheet, revealing the logo of the Yokai Times, "This was in your first year, Mizore. Do you remember the attack on the hospital?"

"The… oh!" Mizore's eyes burst with recollection, "Mado!"

"Mado Yakumaru," Su confirmed, nodding excitedly.

"And for those of us who aren't best friends?" Ikko blurted.

"Mado Yakumaru is a monstrel," Mizore answered, "Back then, we thought she belonged to an organization we called the Anti-Schoolers. They didn't approve of Yokai's message of co-operation and cohabitation. Turns _out_ that the Anti-Schoolers was a small part of a much bigger problem, but – Su, I don't get it. Mado's reformed, isn't she?"

"She is," Su nodded, "But you recall her ability?"

"Yeah, she could control people by injecting them with a venom she produced."

"Direct control?" Ikko asked. "Then, Masumi… you don't think they're related?"

"Maybe," Su looked at Kia, "Did he ever mention any family?"

"Family? Um…" Kia chewed her lip, looking down. All watched her. "He… yeah…. Yeah! A sister! He hates her!"

"A pureblood monster and a monstrel sister…" Ikko mused. "That lines up with what we know about him."

"Maybe he's not too proud of his reformed sister." Su suggested, "But it gives us a lead on his true nature. A natural predator with an ability to charm those he touches…"

The air between them grew charged with excitement. Mizore reached for her phone. "We need Yukari."

"Who are any of these people?" Kia groaned, suddenly exasperated. "Let me know when you've figured it out so we can deal with him."

She flopped down on the nearest chair. Mizore held her phone out, putting it on speaker.

"Felicitations, Mizore!" squeaked the young woman on the other end of the phone. Just hearing her dragged the image of her gargantuan hat into Ikko's mind's eye.

"I'm sorry?" Mizore called.

"This marks the first time you've called me willingly since graduation," Yukari noted, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uhuh. Great – listen, I need your brain."

"On a platter?"

"No!" Mizore rolled her eyes. "I need to pick it."

"Pick away."

"We're trying to identify a monster," Mizore began, "Nature-based."

"Said he and a jubokko are kindred spirits," Ikko added, "And he can influence people's emotions with a touch."

"Alraune," Yukari called. "Who's we? Who's that?"

"An alraune?" Su interrupted.

"Yes, yes, an alraune. Nature monster. German. Their venom is used in about half a dozen love potions. Incredibly potent. Why do you need to know?"

"Curiosity," Mizore returned, making to hang up, "Thank you, Yu-"

"Hold on!" Yukari snapped. "Mizore, if this is a student…"

"What?"

"If it is a student, you must be exceedingly careful," Yukari's voice lowered, "Alraune are legendarily merciless and incredibly proud. Insult one, and they will stop at nothing to see you avenged in a manner most humiliating."

"Oh, great." Ikko grumbled, folding his arms. Mizore grinned.

"Thank you for the heads up."

She pocketed her phone, looking from Su to Ikko. "An alraune."

"Explains why he's not a fighter, I guess," Su mused, "He's too used to getting exactly what he wants using that venom."

"How was he not stopped at the door?" Ikko asked.

"Yokai can't stop a monster from attending just because they're dangerous," Mizore sighed, "Else we'd have no students at all. He was most likely told to refrain from using his abilities, but given how subtle its effects are, that's near-impossible to track."

"Unless you're sensitive to emotions," he added, nodding to Kia. She shrugged, returning to her phone.

Su fixed her with a disapproving glare. "You're not being very helpful."

"There's not much for me to do," Kia replied, "Once you know how you're going to stop him, let me know and I'll help. Until then…"

"It's not that simple!" Su began shouting. Ikko raised a quick hand between the pair of them. Something coalesced in his head. Hatred of monstrels. Hatred of his sister. Hatred of anyone who stood in his way…

"Maybe it is that simple," he murmured.

Mizore caught the glint in his eye. "Ikko…"

"He's got weaknesses." Ikko barely noticed the warning tone in her voice. "He covers for his physical weakness by using Judo. Even if Masumi has martial arts training, he gets enraged _really_ easily. So…

He caught Kia's eye. She nodded. He smiled. "We use that."


	26. Chapter 26

Kia lingered at the back of the crowd; her attention fixed on the head of cropped, fiery hair a few paces ahead of her. Classes were over for the day – anyone who didn't have club or other commitments were making their way back to the dorms, or out to Preternatural Street. Fortunately for her, Etsuko was of the former crowd, heading back to study or sleep.

Unfortunately for her, Etsuko hadn't unwrapped herself from Masumi's arm all goddamn day.

A mix of fury, impatience and anxiety curdled in her breast. She endeavoured to keep herself steady, passive – wholly unnoticeable at the back of the crowd. Her father had taught her the value of others' inattention, and as much as she hated him, she couldn't deny its efficacy. She followed them for the whole walk back, not once suffering a wayward glance or awkward question.

They parted with a kiss at the top step, where the wings of the dormitory divided the genders. Kia watched Masumi patient, expectant. When he'd laid the plan out, Ikko had made it sound impressively simple; now it seemed to rely on too many things going right.

Masumi stopped at the top step. He turned back, and for a moment Kia thought she'd been discovered. Then she saw Judo, looming out of apparently nowhere, and relaxed. They exchanged a few words – anger flashed across Masumi's face.

She smiled. So far so good. She used the cover of a passing gang of girls to head towards Etsuko's dormitory, passing by the two boys. Only when she crossed the threshold of the girl's wing and rounded onto the stairs up did she allow herself to breathe.

"So far so good," she whispered. She headed first to Su's room on the second floor, making a show of checking her phone so that she could at least pretend that she'd gotten distracted and made a wrong turn. Kia counted the doors – 201, 202, 203… - and knocked three times when she reached 206.

She didn't stop. Kia hurried to the stairs at the other end of the corridor, slipping through the door and using the window onto the corridor to watch.

Su poked her head out of the door, appearing far too quickly to look like a friend answering the door for a guest. She looked immediately to her right, spied Kia at the window, and nodded. Kia took to the stairs, heading up a few more floors to Etsuko's dorm. As she neared her objective, her heart began to sink. She recalled Ikko's plan, recounting her steps.

Break Masumi's grasp of Etsuko – no matter what. But _how_? There would be nothing she could say, not to his current girlfriend, not as the ex. Etsuko had seen Kia's worst nights after the breakup; could she use those?

She reached the step of Etsuko's landing, catching her breath. She set a calming hand on her chest, closing her eyes. If this went wrong…

Her phone rang. She squawked, snatching it up and pressing it firmly to her ear without even checking who it was.

Ikko's voice sounded. "How's it going?"

" _Ikko_ , you son of a-" Kia sighed, "Why are you calling me? Don't you have enough to do!?"

"Not yet," he replied, "My first step was to check on you."

" _Why_?"

"I was worried about you."

She blushed, looking warily both ways; to the stairs for on-comers, to the corridor for Etsuko. "I'm fine."

"Su on her way?"

"Yeah."

"Etsuko?"

Kia paused. "I'm just about to see her."

"How're you feeling?"

Another pause. "You think I can't do it?"

"I didn't say that," she heard his frown, pictured it pulling his dark brown down, turning the nervous, slightly lanky teen into a sullen, grumpy old man, "And you didn't answer my question."

"Answer mine."

"Of course you can do it," Ikko replied, "I wouldn't have asked you if you couldn't."

She caught herself smiling. "When did you get so bold?"

"W-well," came the stammer, as if he remembered who he was only partway through the conversation, "It's easier to feel confident when you know you can win."

"This isn't a video game."

"No," Ikko agreed, "But it's the same kind of thinking. See the lines, plan ahead. If all goes well, he's finished."

"Sure," Kia looked once more to the corridor, " _If_ it all goes well."

"It will."

"So sure?"

"I've got you on my side," Ikko whispered, "You saved my life once before, Kia. I know what you can do – I know you can do this. Though, er, I am sorry I have to rely on you."

"Don't be," she whispered, "And don't stop, either. It's kinda hot, this new side of you."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she laughed, "I'm gonna go. Thanks for checking in."

"Oh. R-right. Good luck."

"I thought you said you knew I could do it?"

"I do! I do," Ikko sighed, "See you on the other side."

"Hopefully not _the_ other side."

Hanging up, Kia allowed herself a moment to collect herself. When he'd first arrived, Ikko had been little more than an inchoate mess. A hapless human with no idea of the dangers he'd landed himself in. Now, he spoke calmly, moved with a cautious assertion that suggested comfort – or, at the very least, acceptance – of his surroundings. Yokai was becoming his home, slowly but surely, and he was done hiding from its perils.

She checked the corridor one last time, then pushed into the landing. She had risked his home once – now it was time to protect it.

* * *

Ikko stood, pocketing his phone with a smile. He would have to thank Mizore later. Choosing to trust Kia again had taken a supreme effort; effort that he would have been unwilling to muster without encouragement.

He stood in the wastes just beyond the main campus, apart from the Academy's crowds without being _too_ separate from them. If someone wanted to find him, they could. He hoped.

He checked his wrist. The shikigami sat peacefully on his wrist, its eye twitching as it pointed towards its twin somewhere in the building. Running through the plan once more in his head brought him no comfort – his hands still trembled, wound tight with anxiety and vulnerability both – but it kept him focussed. This could work. It _had_ to work. If it, didn't, well… best not chase that particular thread just yet.

Ikko forced himself to stay sat down, denying his legs the urge to pace. Too impatient, and he might give the game away. He took his phone out once more, swiping back and forth between screens. It wouldn't be long, now. He'd tried to time it just right. If Kia had done her job, then-

The rumbling of the earth gave it away. His feet felt it. His senses might not be as tuned or sensitive as a monster's, but if he concentrated to the exclusion of everything else. He took a breath. Cleared his throat.

"I know you're there, Judo."

The jubokko didn't attack. Instead, he surfaced, rising from a crack in the dirt as if sprouting. He towered over the still seated Ikko, staring down with what he hoped was puzzlement. "It's not magic." Ikko said, slowly. "Well, it is. Kinda. You can merge with anything natural, and move through it like a spirit can, right? But with a body like yours…"

"Yes, very clever." Masumi's cold drawl sounded from behind Judo. Ikko inhaled.

"…it leaves some kind of trace." Ikko concentrated on Judo, standing. Raising to full height was a feeble thing next to the man who stood head-and-shoulders above him, but it made looking up slightly easier. He found Judo's dark eyes, staring into them.

"You know what he's doing is wrong," he whispered, "You don't want this – _she_ doesn't want this. _Fight it_ , Judo."

"That won't work." Masumi rounded from behind Judo, taking his side. Ikko stood his ground. They wouldn't fight. Not yet. "I must say, it's a bit refreshing to speak so freely of these things, Akada. No reason to dress things up when you've peeked behind the curtain."

"Maybe you should thank me." Ikko grit his teeth.

Masumi's hollow laughter echoed out. "Maybe! I must say, this boldness of yours is refreshing. It even gave you a sense of humour. Did you finally find your spine, hiding behind your friends?"

"I'm not hiding now." Ikko glanced over Masumi's shoulder. He caught the movement of his eyes.

"What are you looking for?" he grinned, tossing his hair as he followed the line of his gaze, "No-one's coming. Did you get cocky after that bitch took me down? Figured you could strut about like you own the place?"

"I don't own anything. Much like you."

"What do _you_ know?" Masumi growled, "Talking like you know me. What is it about you, hm? Kia, that bitch-"

"Su."

"What?"

" _That bitch_." Ikko clenched his fist. "Has a _name_."

Masumi scoffed. "They all flock to you. I figured Kia might be desperate, but you broke that bitch-"

" _Su-_ "

"I don't care _what_ her name is!" Masumi advanced. His skin paled, began to grow tight around the bones, hardening as his Guise slipped. "How'd you do it, huh? How'd you break her out of my nectar's grasp?"

"I didn't do anything," Ikko retorted, "Su did it all on her own. She did what any friend would do when they see one of their own in trouble – but then, you wouldn't know about that, would you?"

"Friendship…" Masumi spat, his saliva frothing with the same orange sap as before. "Bullshit. No-one's ever broken free so easily before. You did something."

"Believe that, if you want." Ikko shrugged. His heart hammered so loudly in his chest that he could barely hear his next words. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Masumi raised his hand. Ikko flinched, stumbling back. Masumi laughed. "Fucking trash. You think I don't see what you're doing? You get me all riled up, run screaming, and then half the campus comes crashing down on me."

As he relaxed, Ikko saw his Guise reassert himself. Masumi sighed. "No, not in public. Not where it gets messy. You sleep with one eye open, okay Akada? I want you to _watch_ when I sneak up there and tear your goddamn throat out."

Masumi turned. Ikko clutched at his shirt, gasping. _Not yet_ , his mind screamed. _Keep him talking!_ He swore under his breath. If this went wrong, Masumi might not wait. But-

"How's Mado?"

Masumi froze. Ikko wished he could feel triumphant. "I don't know a Mado," Masumi called back, the stiffness of his voice giving away the lie.

"Maybe you don't _want_ to know her," Ikko called back. He dared himself to take a step forward, fighting his screaming instincts as he marched towards what could be a grisly death, "Mado Yakumaru – your elder sister, right? A monstrel, so… maybe half?"

Masumi turned. He turned so slowly, that the chill of his glare didn't hit until Ikko had taken a full stride towards him. Ikko saw murder, saw a desperate, impotent fury, and knew he'd guessed right. "Stronger than you ever could be," he breathed.

"What…" Masumi whispered. "…did you just say?"

"She didn't need to dope her victims," he shouted, daring to glance over Masumi's shoulder. He didn't notice this time. Ikko smirked, "One touch and _bam_ , they were hers to control. They'd do anything she wanted. But you, the poor little pureblood…"

"Say one more word," Masumi snarled, "One more _fucking_ word about that bastard half-breed, I dare you."

Ikko dared. He dared with the mad confidence of a man who needed to get Masumi to say just a few more words. "Was she the favourite? Daddy's precious because his next kid just couldn't _cut_ it?"

"THAT FILTHY MONGREL GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED!" Masumi roared, his Guise shattering. His full, wretched form burst into life, sap flowing, fangs gnashing, roots spreading. Masumi's clothes tore. "You know what, Akada? I'm _done_ with you. Done with every worthless monstrel that thinks they can _mouth_ off because they've got the numbers. They'd better bring a bag for what I'm gonna leave of you!"

Masumi lunged. Judo vanished. Ikko flinched-

And flames exploded between them.

Ikko threw himself to the ground. Something small crashed into him, knocking him sideways and protecting him from the heat. He opened his eyes to see Kia, blue eyes broken and blackened, smiling down him. "I've got you."

"That's twice," Ikko panted. He struggled to look past her, focussing on the flames. "Is that-"

"Yeah."

They watched on as Masumi recoiled from the blaze. Judo surfaced, shielding the man he was slaved to. At their centre, clothes little more than scattering cinders, a look of epiphanic hatred on her face, stood Etsuko Yanase. A tongue of flame lashed in her mouth, causing her words to scorch the air she breathed. "Filthy mongrels, are we?"

Ikko marvelled at her beauty. Etsuko's lithe form had elongated further, limbs sharpening into narrow blades that spat and sparked as they burned. Her short hair erupted gouts of flame like ribbons, trailing behind her. The dry dirt blackened under feet twisted into spurs. The flames eventually died, leaving only trailing embers that raced over her pale skin.

Masumi recoiled. Ikko could only wonder how the flames felt to a creature of wood and sap. " _You_?" he snapped, "I thought I told you-"

"To go to my room?" she interjected, words bizarrely cool amid the inferno that she birthed. "Yes, I did that. You were happy to let me suffer there, after all. To sit and stew in the haze you'd mired my mind in. Then someone came along. Someone precious. Someone who reminded me what I _really_ loved."

Masumi looked wildly in Kia's direction. His mouth hung open, but Etsuko gave him no room to retort. She took a step forward; he scrambled back. "How could you?" Etsuko whispered. " _Why_ would you? What could your petty revenge ever get you?"

"P-petty!?" Masumi stammered. " _Me? Petty?_ LOOK AT HER! That bitch tore my soul apart! All because she couldn't keep her soiled blood in check. You think this is petty!? She needs a leash – you ALL need a leash!"

"And I suppose that's you, right?" Etsuko replied, taking another step forward. She had to but advance upon Masumi, and his bravado crumbled. "You're the one to keep us monstrels in check."

His raving descended into babbling. Etsuko looked away, towards Ikko, and Kia crouched over him. She smiled. "Kia told me what you've been through. I'm sorry to have been made a part of it."

Ikko smiled, heaving himself up to sit. "Just glad to have you back," he panted, "Etsuko."

"Just in time."

"Any later, and I'd be a dead man."

"You're STILL A DEAD MAN! KILL HIM!"

A shadow swallowed Ikko. Something thick and leathery batted him out of the way. He landed roughly, tumbling – instinct told him to cover his ears.

Screaming filled his ears. A haunting, paralyzing noise. Even shielded, he felt his body quake with mortal fear. He chanced a look up. Kia stood between him and the advancing Judo, her jaw distended, throat torn open, song – if such a wretched thing could be called one – evoking despair.

For Ikko, behind her, the song was enough to bring tears and breathless gasps to emptied lungs. For Judo and Masumi, caught in the monstrel's full blast, it was enough to cripple. Both fell to their knees, clutching their heads, screaming muted by the weight of her song. "That's enough!" Ikko shouted, vainly. He tried to stand. "Kia. Kia!"

She didn't relent. Her song grew in volume. He looked desperately about himself, trying to find something, anything, that might draw her attention. If they died, then…

The song faltered. Ikko lashed about, turning towards Kia, in time to see Etsuko crash into the broken girl, wrapping her spindly, burning arms about her. "It's okay," he heard in ringing ears, "You've done enough, Kia. That's enough…"

"It's not!" she croaked. "It's not – it's not…"

Ikko stumbled forward. Masumi and Judo weren't getting up, but he could see them writhing. He reached the spot where the girls embraced, and placed a quaking hand on Kia's shoulder. "It'll have to be," Ikko whispered, squeezing her shoulder, "Any more, and we'll be worse than them."

Kia gasped, choking back a sob. Etsuko didn't relinquish her grasp, though her arms looked more and more human with each passing second, as she restored her Guise. She looked over Kia's shoulder, smiling at Ikko. "You should get a teacher."

"No need," he said, nodding behind them. True enough – just as planned – he saw the flicking ears and swishing tail of Miss Nekonome, whose pace quickened the moment she got close enough to see the full scene.

"Ah." Etsuko breathed. "Well, then. You can fetch me a change of clothes."

"What?"

"Are you blind?" she arched a brow, "They don't make fireproof uniforms, you know."

"What – oh. _Oh_." Ikko realised why Etsuko yet clutched Kia to her body – and why the faintest dusting of pink coloured her once-burning cheeks. "I, uh. I don't have one."

"Of course you don't…"

* * *

The five of them – Ikko, Kia, Etsuko, Masumi and Judo – were marched up to the main campus. Mizore and Ruby met them at the main gates, where the former took Masumi and Judo into her custody to guide them, shivering and stuttering, to the hospital. Ruby held out two gym uniforms for the girls, and took them away into the main campus building.

Watching them go, Ikko looked towards Miss Nekonome. "What happens now?"

"Hm?" the cat-eared teacher seemed to just remember he was there. "Oh. The headmaster's office for you, young man. And for them, once they've either recovered."

"Why?" Ikko blurted, adrenaline still pumping, "We didn't do anything wrong?"

"Four of them broke their Guises on campus grounds." Miss Nekonome recited, steering him by the shoulder. "Four of them were fighting – and this is the second time you've been at the centre of such a problem, Mister Akada. Don't think we've forgotten that business with Mister Kotsubo!"

"Kotsubo!?" Ikko yelled. "How is that my fault?"

"Now, now," Miss Nekonome's hand tensed ever so slightly, "Don't go raising your voice at a teacher, Mister Akada."

The insinuation was enough to drain the last of the fight left in him. Ikko allowed himself to be guided to the headmaster's office, that long corridor housing grand, dark wood doors at their very centre. 'Tenmei Mikogami', read the plaque, 'Headmaster'.

"Wait here," Miss Nekonome instructed, sitting Ikko down on one of the cushion-less chairs opposite the door. She sidled inside.

His heart sank. To be brought here, after coming so far, after being _so_ careful. They'd worked to ensure that it would be another teacher, not Mizore, to discover the scene – that had been Su's role, after all. Had Kia's last attack given the wrong impression? Did Nekonome think him, the human, the mastermind of an attack on Masumi? Revenge for – for what, exactly?

He reached for his phone, and without really knowing why, sent a text to Mizore.

Me: At HM's office

Her response came almost immediately.

Mizore S.: why?

Me: Beats me

Me: Maybe they think I was attacking him?

Mizore: im omw

Me: No

He stared at the screen. No? Why shouldn't she come? He thought quickly. It sounded right for her to stay away…

Me: They'll think you were a part of it. Just make sure they're okay.

She didn't respond. Ikko looked up, hearing the door creak. Miss Nekonome stepped out, wordlessly gestured for him to go in, and left him there.

For the third time, the grand expanse of the headmaster's office stretched out before him. Ikko took a short breath. "Akada," called the headmaster, "Please, do come closer. We have much to discuss."

Discuss? What a strange way to refer to a punishment. Ikko shuffled forward, sticking his hands in his pockets. Neither of them spoke until he was opposite the desk – and for once, the headmaster was not seated. He stood tall, proud, robes hanging off him in an oddly misshapen fit. Ikko sniffed, scenting the slightest whiff of cigar smoke. Were monks allowed to smoke? "Miss Nekonome has apprised me of your confrontation with Messrs Yakumaru and Dai."

"Dai?"

"Ah, you would know him as 'Judo'," the headmaster chuckled, "An awfully uninspired nickname, but rarely do we get to choose these things. How are you feeling?"

"Confused." Ikko frowned. "I thought you were going to punish me?"

"Punish you?" the headmaster laughed, "Mister Akada, you handled this _masterfully_. Ensuring that Miss Yanase was in range as you goaded Mister Yakumaru's hatred of monstrels into view. How did you know she was one?"

"Educated guess…" Ikko mumbled, wary, "Masumi was with Kia, a monstrel, and then he was with Etsuko. Given his, er… prejudice, it made a twisted sort of sense that he'd pick another monstrel."

"Well deduced." The headmaster nodded. "You've demonstrated an eye for the smaller details others might miss. A very useful skill."

"Sir," Ikko ventured, "What is this about? Why am I here? And, for that matter, why did you get Ruby to find out if I have magic in my blood?"

"A fortuitous coincidence, I assure you," said he, though Ikko was not in the least bit reassured, "Though the two are not entirely unrelated. Allow me to explain.

"I guessed your latent abilities when you survived your brush with Tayama. It's not everyone who has the emotional reserves to withstand such a savaging, Akada. Some buried strength must have protected the last vestiges of your soul."

"Savaging?" Ikko's frown deepened, "You said I was saved by-"

"By the miracle of Tayama's good nature – and that was not incorrect. Her affection for you certainly stayed her from finishing you off, but you provided a tough enough meal for her to be given pause in the first place. That mystery aside, I suppose you're wondering about why I called you here and didn't send you off to be calmed by Ruby."

He nodded. The headmaster's grin spread. "You've demonstrated a remarkable resilience and perception, Akada. I was worried for you, at first, but you seem to have overcome your misgivings and embraced your place at Yokai."

"Sir," Ikko cut in. That same niggling doubt that struck him when he spoke with Ruby surfaced once more, and his curiosity demanded he did not deny it, "I have to ask."

"Yes?"

"I wasn't a glitch in the system, was I?"

He held his breath.

The headmaster smirked. "No. No you were not."

Ikko's heart twisted, but he had barely a moment to compose himself when he spoke again. "Let's take a walk, Mister Akada."


	27. Chapter 27

Mizore lingered outside the hospital ward to which she had delivered Masumi and Judo. Doctor Tsumugi, one of Yokai's longest-serving medical staff, had stopped her as she'd walked them in, revealing that the headmaster had requested she standby to receive them.

"I was told to prepare for four or five," she'd said, her voice muffled by the bandages she kept wrapped around all but her eyes and hair, which poked out in ragged bangs, "Are the others on their way?"

"No, just these two," Mizore replied. The headmaster's preparedness never ceased to surprise her. How had he known about this?

Together, they had navigated Masumi and Judo into separate beds, and Mizore had explained what Nekonome had witnessed. Tsumugi had told her to wait outside, and there she now paced, the steps just enough to keep her from darting awat to join Ikko at the headmaster's office.

She scowled. He was probably right to tell her to stay, but it didn't make it any easier. She did not have to wait long, fortunately, for Doctor Tsumugi popped her head out of the door, sidling out of the ward. "Who did you say was involved in this?" she asked.

"Er…" Mizore delayed. "Those two, then two monstrels and my transfer, Akada."

"I'm going to need their names." Tsumugi directed, holding up a tablet. "Pulling up their files. Whatever they've suffered, it wasn't physical, beyond ruptured eardrums."

"Oh, right. It was Kia Tayama, and Yanase. Etsuko Yanase."

"Let's see…" Tsumugi's brow furrowed as she typed the names, one-handed. "Two monstrels?"

"They were protecting Akada."

"Were they?" Tsumugi muttered, "He's got powerful friends. A wraith-siren hybrid _and_ a kamaitachi-onibi… We're lucky they're not here in bags." Tsumugi sighed. "But they'll be fine. I can mend their ears, but they're psychological state will take some time."

"What?"

"Their minds, Miss Shirayuki," Tsumugi explained, her tone patient, but her expression was inscrutable behind those bindings, "Wraiths are very dangerous. They feed on souls, sure, but they're known for their ability to inspire fear and dread just by existing. Mix that into a siren's magical songs and, well…" she trailed off. "I assume the headmaster will notify their parents?"

"Probably."

"Good. Can't imagine they'd want their kids to stay here after such an attack. You said they were attacking Akada?"

"Yeah."

"You sure Akada didn't want that to happen?"

Mizore frowned, looking away. Her phone rang. "Miss Shirayuki?" pressed Tsumugi.

"Sorry – sorry, I have to take this."

She hurried away, leaving Tsumugi in the corridor. Mizore answered the phone, fumbling as she took it out of her pocket. "Su?"

"Mizore!" Su cried, "Thank god – you picked up. I've been trying everyone!"

"Ruby's with Etsuko and Kia," Mizore explained, "And Ikko's with the headmaster."

"What? Why?"

"Beats me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay."

Mizore smiled, coming to rest against one of the blank hospital walls. "Everyone's fine. Masumi and Judo'll survive, thankfully."

"I can't believe it worked," said Su, "Ikko's got a scary eye for this kind of thing."

"You think?"

"He put this all together. Using Kia to break Etsuko out, getting Miss Nekonome to arrive on scene – even keeping you out of it."

Mizore tensed at that last part. Perhaps that was why she felt so restless, so desperate to step in and do _something_. To keep all hands clean, Ikko had suggested Mizore stay with Ruby, prepared to jump in if everything went horribly wrong, but otherwise to wait until the very end to make sure Masumi and Judo were properly dealt with. It would have been too convenient for his teacher, guardian and club manager to turn up in the nick of time, especially given the rumoured history between her and Kotsubo, the crossfire of which had caught him last time.

Su was still talking. Mizore made a non-committal noise. "Mizore?"

"What?"

"I asked if you were going to see what the headmaster wanted."

"No," Mizore sighed, "No, I'm staying out of it. Ikko thinks it'll look too suspicious if I rush to his defense."

"Huh." Su hummed. "Smart. He's really coming into his own, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Mizore's gaze dropped.

The question was: What would the headmaster _do_ with this newfound confidence?

* * *

"Do you watch the news much, Mister Akada?"

Ikko followed the headmaster out of his office. Instead of turning right, the way he'd come to get here, they turned left, down the last length of the corridor. A few unmarked doors with heavy, rusted locks awaited them. "No," said Ikko, watching the headmaster's back, "Well, even less since coming to Yokai, but it's all so sensationalised."

"I suppose when the media talks about bio-weapons and unexplained meteorological phenomena, it can be a little hard to trust, hm?"

"Yeah," Ikko murmured. "Wait – you're not suggesting that's monsters at work, are you?"

"I am indeed," the headmaster chortled, "You see, a couple of years back we had quite the incident on our hands. A monster of unimaginable strength with many, many powerful allies made an attack on the human world. You will note, perhaps, that it was around that point that the media got so 'sensationalised'."

Ikko gawped, but quickly shut his mouth. This was the most the headmaster had said about, well, anything. He couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. "Seriously?"

"Oh, yes. Quite serious, Mister Akada. It was then that the thin veneer of mystery that kept the human and monstrous worlds separate was torn apart. As you can imagine, it caused no small number of headaches around the world. The governing powers of our two worlds had to work incredibly hard to mitigate the damage before panic spread to the general populace."

Ikko made a mental note to pay more attention to the world news. If monsters were truly behind this, then… he shook his head, putting that thought away. "I don't see how this involves me."

"Ah, of course. Forgive me, I have a tendency to ramble. You see, as part of those talks, it was decided that humans and monsters could no longer live as two sides of a coin – linked, but each blind to the other. Work must begin, and soon, to unite our worlds under a banner of peace, before less… altruistic parties decide to exploit the advantages of such coalitions. And who better to invest the hopes of such an ideal than the next generation, eh?"

"Children?"

"Students," the headmaster corrected, "If the next generation can be taught peaceful cohabitation with those fundamentally different than themselves, we stand a much better chance of fostering a lasting peace than forcing it on a harder, older population. In the spirit of this concord, Yokai, its colleagues abroad, and some human schools, have begun work to transfer humans to monster schools, and monsters to human schools. You are one of the first, Mister Akada."

"It wasn't a glitch?"

"Absolutely not," the headmaster laughed louder, "Though the excuse certainly helped explain things in the short term. You'll have to forgive my deception."

They reached the end of the corridor. The headmaster withdrew from his robes a ring of large keys, the middle of which he used to unlock the door directly ahead of them. It opened into a dark room, lit by two pale lights – one of a laptop screen, and one of a projector that threw the laptop's image onto the far wall. A round table sat in the very centre of the room, lined with comfortable chairs. "In a few moments," the headmaster said, "I will be having a conference call with two of Yokai's alumni, who are working with the Academy to foster deeper ties between monsters and humans in the human world. Before I begin, I have a proposition for you, Akada."

Ikko didn't know how to digest the idea of a monk having a video conference, let alone anything else the headmaster had revealed to him. He nodded dumbly.

The headmaster smiled, his face cast into almost complete darkness by the sharp light of the projector. "I would like you to join with their efforts, as Yokai's human ambassador."

"What?" Ikko blurted, "Why?"

"Simple." The headmaster began, taking the nearest seat. As they entered, lights flickered on. Ikko joined him in the next available seat, warily turning the chair to face him. "You are Yokai's only human student. That makes you the most qualified candidate for the role of Yokai's human ambassador, does it not?"

"That makes me the _only_ candidate!" Ikko exclaimed. To his dismay, the headmaster's chuckling continued.

"I would not ask this of you if I did not think you capable," he explained, "You have been at Yokai for but a small hand of months, and yet in that time you have conquered your fear and insecurities both, and in so doing have won to your advantage the allegiance of several powerful monsters. Your willingness to forge sincere connections, Akada, and your ability to draw out the best of those connections in defense of yourself – and your friends – makes you perfect for the role."

"You make it sound like I'm using them," Ikko felt a pit in his stomach, growing to swallow his nascent confidence.

"Using them?" the headmaster asked, "I suppose if you wish to view it that way, you could say that. But what is friendship if not using your individual skills to benefit the whole?"

"I-"

"It is not _wrong_ to ask for favours, Akada. Nor is it wrong to ask for help," the headmaster cut across him, "If their help is willingly rendered, and you have made your intentions plain upon your request, what is the issue?"

Something in the way the headmaster spoke about these things made him incredibly uncomfortable. Ikko folded his arms, withdrawing into his seat, saying very little. "Your role would require very little of you during term time," the headmaster continued, either oblivious to, or choosing to ignore, Ikko's reticence, "But during the holidays, such as those that follow the exams, I would ask you to visit the human world and aid my alumni in their attempts to bridge the divides between human and monster communities."

"What happens if I say no?" Ikko asked.

The headmaster's smile flickered, for the briefest of moments. "You seem awful fond of that question."

"I like to know how easily I can get out of a situation."

"Not, in itself, a weakness," the headmaster nodded, "But if you are so focussed on the escape, Akada, there may come a time when you cannot commit, for fear of not being _able_ to escape. Prudence is wise – paranoia is not."

Ikko bowed his head. His hands clammy, gaze uneven, he wrapped about himself to keep his composure. "When you say, 'bridge the divides', what does that mean?"

"It depends largely on the situation, but you would be helping my alumni in situations where, if you'll permit the turn of phrase, a human touch is required. A bit of sincerity, a soothing presence to heal the deep scars that collisions between our worlds can cause."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Undoubtedly," the smile in the headmaster's words did naught to assuage his anxieties, "As well you've learned, Akada, one cannot simply saunter through our world unscathed. You will be dealing with humans _and_ monsters both, and each carry their own dangers. But you will, of course, be fairly compensated for your troubles, and you will not be alone. Alongside my alumni, you may select a handful of your friends to help in these endeavours."

"Really?"

"We work best when we work together – or have you so quickly forgotten the lesson of the ordeal just passed?"

Ikko paused. If he had Etsuko and Kia with him, then maybe…

Something inside him clicked. His faint desire to his friends smiling caught light, stoked by the ideals presented by the headmaster. For one epiphanic moment, he found himself ablaze with excitement, caught up in the dream of a truly united world – a world he had lived so blindly alongside. What would that world look like? What could they achieve, so united?

He looked up from his recalcitrant shell, unfurling his arms and setting his hands on his knees. Certainty compelled him to meet the headmaster's eyes, hidden behind the hood of his robe. "I'll do it," he said, feeling the thrill of commitment racing through him, "With their help, I'll do it."

"Whose help?"

"The Writing Club," he said, "Oh, and Etsuko. Etsuko Yanase. And Miss Shirayuki."

"It will be up to you to convince them," said the headmaster, "But if they agree, they can help. A word of caution, though – if I may?"

It wasn't like the headmaster to ask permission. Ikko nodded. "Not every monster will be receptive to the idea of working alongside humans. You are asking them both to keep the secret of your species, and to support a cause that might have brought significant pain in the past. Understand?"

Another nod. The headmaster grinned. "Then, ambassador, it's high time you meet your colleagues."

The headmaster leaned over to grab the mouse, clicking once, twice. As he did so, Ikko caught again that bizarrely familiar whiff of cigar smoke. He frowned, concentrating on it. Where had he smelled that before?

The screen sprang to life. Turned as he was, Ikko didn't see immediately who spoke. "Headmaster. How's the habit?"

"Uncomfortable as ever, Mister Aono!" chortled the headmaster, "And a nightmare to clean."

"Aono?" Ikko span in his seat. Two youths – a man and woman – stared down the webcam that connected them. The man grinned, cheery and bright, whilst the woman smiled, still happy yet infinitely more noble. He recognised the brown and silver hair of the pair almost instantly.

"Tsukune!?"

"Oh?" the headmaster looked to Ikko, "Are you already acquainted?"

"N-no," Ikko stammered, avoiding Tsukune's eye – a feat made more difficult by how large it was on the projected screen, "I uh, I recognise his face from the photos in the News Club. We've never met. And uh – Moka, Miss Akashiya, too."

"Of course, of course. Mister Aono, Miss Akashiya, how does Aichi treat you?"

"It's busy," said Moka, smiling, "But nothing we can't handle. Who's that you've got there?"

"Ah, my apologies," the headmaster held out a hand, gesturing to Ikko, "Meet Ikko Akada, Yokai Academy's first official human exchange student – and newly appointed ambassador."

Ikko thought he saw recognition in Tsukune's eyes. The young man smiled, dispelling it. "Nice to meet you. Can I call you Ikko?"

"Oh – sure."

"Great. I'm Tsukune, this is Moka. How are you finding Yokai?"

"Uh…"

"You'll forgive Akada for hesitating," the headmaster interjected, "He's fresh from a spate of altercations with two problem students."

"Is he?" Tsukune's brows shot up, "Glad to see Yokai continues its proud and bloodthirsty traditions."

"We aim to please."

They exchanged a grin, sharing an understanding that Ikko didn't grasp. Moka shook her head, sighing. "It's good to have you, Ikko," said Tsukune, nodding, "When the headmaster said we'd be appointing a student ambassador, I didn't realise he meant a _human_ , but it makes a bit of sense. Kind of."

"If you wildly stretch your perception of 'sense'." Moka intoned. Then, with a wider, more welcoming smile than he expected from a supposed vampire, she said, "Welcome aboard, Ikko."

He murmured thanks. That they were Yokai graduates, he could handle. It was Mizore's tale that dampened his enthusiasm. This was, after all, the same Tsukune Aono she'd fallen head-over-heels for, who had hurt her so badly by chasing the woman he loved. He struggled to separate this line of thought from the excitement at becoming a deeper part of this secret world.

The headmaster clapped his hands together, snapping him from reverie. "With introductions out of the way, conversation must move on to how we progress. Mister Akada, if you have hands you wish to bring on board, you must convince them of the worthiness of the cause. Mister Aono, have you any ideas?"

"Ideas?" Tsukune seemed taken aback. "Hm… well, there's summer break."

"That's not a bad idea," agreed Moka, sharing a significant look, "Have you any objections, headmaster?"

"None save their exam results. I shall make the necessary arrangements with Miss Shirayuki."

"What happens over summer break?" Ikko asked.

"Nothing special," Tsukune explained, "But if they want to see what they're going to be a part of, there's no better time. Most of the gang get together to share how things are progressing."

"How many do you intend to bring?" Moka inquired.

"Uh…" Ikko counted them. "Optimistically, six."

Tsukune frowned. "Tight fit."

"I'm sure we'll manage. No doubt Marin could use the extra hands."

"You're not wrong…" Tsukune nodded. "Summer break, then. Headmaster, if you could, uh, talk to the bus driver?"

There it was again. Ikko caught the smile, like an in-joke, that flashed between the headmaster and Tsukune. What did they know? "Of course," the headmaster said, bowing his head, "Then I leave you to your studies. Until next time, Mister Aono, Miss Akashiya."

"Take care. And you, Ikko," Tsukune beamed his way, "I know Yokai can be difficult, but you sound like you have things handled. Take care of yourself."

Ikko nodded, mute. The call ended and the headmaster leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile. "You heard Mister Aono," he noted, turning once more to face Ikko, "You have until summer break to convince your friends to help. Submit their names to Ruby or Miss Shirayuki by the week before, if you'd be so kind. Authorizing such a venture is quite a lot of paperwork."

"Sir," Ikko nodded, making to stand. The headmaster did not stop him, but a question gave him pause. He turned back to his chair; the headmaster had pulled the laptop closer, and was reaching for something in his habit. "Sir?"

"Yes, Mister Akada?"

"Humans and monsters…" Ikko frowned, "Do you think we can do it? Co-exist, that is."

His answer was not forthcoming. It came at the end of a very long pause – long enough to make Ikko think that perhaps he'd asked something forbidden. "Good friends of mine have died believing we can, Mister Akada. I sincerely hope that they did not die in vain."

He felt the weight of those words, pressing down on the room like an anchor. After another pregnant pause, the headmaster dismissed him with a quiet, "Good day, Mister Akada," leaving Ikko with a fresh bout of puzzlement over the secrets crawling behind that plain habit.

* * *

Closing the door to the conference room, Ikko found himself momentarily dazzled by the harsh light of the adjoining corridor. As if emerging from a dark cave, he shielding his brow, wincing, giving his eyes a moment to settle.

Human ambassador for Yokai Academy. He ran the title through his head, looking down at himself. Did the headmaster really think he could do it? He did not strike Ikko as the kind of man to make idle assurances – but then he wasn't quite sure _what_ kind of man the headmaster was to begin with. He shook his head, pushing hair out of his eyes and making his ponderous way down the corridor. He spied a shape standing diligently at the headmaster's door, and soon recognised Ruby's long raven hair and distinctive garb. He called her name.

"Ikko!" she said, looking up from the floor. "There you are. Where's the headmaster."

"Back there. How are they?"

"The girls are fine," Ruby smiled, "Kia's a little shaken, but Etsuko is there. How are you holding up?"

Ikko met her eye. Her expectant smile told him she knew, already, of the headmaster's intent. It annoyed him to be kept out of the machinations until he was useful in them, but at least now he knew that his arrival was no accident. He exhaled softly, recounting his conversation with the headmaster to her.

"Ambassador?" Ruby's mouth opened a fraction. To her credit, she feigned polite surprise very well. "What did you say?"

"What else could I say?" he grumbled. "I said yes. I'll be meeting with Tsukune and Moka over summer."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she broke into a wider smile, "I'm surprised you agreed so readily."

"Really?"

"You're a very cautious soul, Ikko."

"The headmaster called me paranoid."

"He's not _entirely_ wrong… but still. You said yes, and that's what matters."

"Yeah, well," Ikko looked down, "Now I have to tell the rest of them that I'm human."

"Who?"

"Well, Kia already knows. So does Mizore – I guess that just leaves Etsuko, Naoko and Sushi. I'll have to ask all of them to join. Properly."

"Do you think that's wise?"

"I-" Ikko paused. "I owe Etsuko an explanation. She saved my life. The other two, well… it wouldn't be fair to leave them out, would it?"

"We're not talking about a party," Ruby reminded him, "This is important, Ikko. Really important. You have to be sure you can trust them."

"And the headmaster is sure he can trust me?" Ikko returned. "I'm just a kid."

"I trust you." Ruby countered, her voice flawlessly warm. "That's enough for him."

Ikko opened his mouth, closing it when his wit failed to deliver. He shrugged. "I think I can trust them."

"Just be sure," she said, grasping his shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

"Food." Ikko grumbled. "And a shower. What time is it?"

He pulled out his phone, cursing when he saw the time. "That late?"

Ruby laughed. "I'll walk you back to the dorm. Gods only know you don't need teacher trouble after all this."

Ikko nodded, but before he stashed his phone he sent a quick text to Mizore. The rest of them could wait, he decided, but not her. If he was to work with Tsukune and Moka, she had to know.

Ruby left him at the stairs to the dormitory, and he took to the task of crawling to the sixth floor with protesting legs. All the walking, running, and rolling of the day had crashed upon him simultaneously. Even his hunger, first amongst his concerns, seemed to fail under the realization of just how exhausted he was. Ikko stifled any more complaints, forcing his body to move. Sleep waited for him at the end.

After an age, a lifetime, and then another age after that, Ikko wrested himself to to the top of the final staircase, flopping through the door and into the hallway. Six floors. _Six floors_! Safety be damned, no sane person needed that much exercise every day. Ikko dragged his feet down the hall, past the only other occupied room.

He stopped, one step past the door. He turned his ear back to it. Strange… there was normally some sign of life in there. The dull thud of music, the whir of a laptop, the creak of footsteps – even the occasional snore – but he heard nothing. Had something happened to them? For the briefest of moments, fatigue forgotten, he considered knocking on the door. Then his arms protested at any movement beyond the automatic swing that walking created and, recalling his desire for sleep, he moved on.

He used the weight of his body to push on his door after unlocking it, stumbling through and turning immediately right into the bathroom. He pulled clothes drenched with sweat and soiled with dirt off, limped into the shower. The warm water washed over him, relaxing every muscle wound tight over the day, easing the tension in his shoulders, his brow, his mind…

Ikko slumped. He lowered himself slowly down into sitting in the corner of the shower, content to let the water run over him, washing away the dirt, the grime of the day. If it could just wash him down the drain, too – carry him away from this world so drastically changed, away from his new responsibility, his new self. Wash him back to how he was… that would be nice. Right?

He frowned, finding dissatisfaction where once he might have found peace. Was he no longer content to remain as he had been, as the human world had made him? Ikko furrowed his brow, pushing back wet clumps of dark hair so that the shower caught his face. He let out a slow breath.

Had he really changed so much? His thoughts turned murkily towards a buzzing noise he heard in the bundle of his clothes, but no further. He was so tired.

So tired…


End file.
